Kaze no Stigma: The Elementalist
by D.M.Ash
Summary: Alkan Simure Hosenkou is one of the few special people to wield the power of all four elements, known as an Elementalist. How will things change when he runs into his old friend Kazuma Yagami in Kazuma's hometown while on a job?
1. Meeting

Kaze no Stigma – Elementalist

Chapter 1 – Meeting

_Alkan Simure Hosenkou was pinned to a wall by a sword that sealed off all his powers. He watched helplessly at the scene before him. One of his best friends, Cui-Ling, was being sacrificed in a ritual while another of his best friends, Kazuma Yagami, is on the ground beaten while watching the scene in horror._

_Alkan tried to pull the sword out but his hand was deflected by some kind of barrier. He heard Cui-Ling say, "I wasn't born just to be eaten by a demon." With that Alkan grasped onto a pendant that had a clear crystal hanging from it. He thought to himself, 'I guess there's no other choice…' With that he grasped the crystal in his hand and closed his eyes…_

***

Alkan woke up with a start from the nightmare in his hotel room. He realized what had happened and became furious with himself thinking, 'Dammit I thought I already got past that. Even though things went well with the spell I cast the mere memory still haunts me.'

It's been years since that incident happened. After the ritual Cui-Ling's essence was taken by the person responsible for the ritual and it was used to create a demon called Lapis. Kazuma went on to become a powerful wind user going through destroying the organization involved with the ritual in Europe, though some would say he went on a rampage. What Kazuma didn't know was that during the ritual, Alkan used one of his family's ancient spells to switch Cui-Ling's soul with a perfect duplicate created during the spell, keeping her soul within the crystal from his pendant. Lucky for him he performed the switch just in time before her body and 'soul' was sacrificed.

Alkan went over to his bedside table and lifted the said pendant from cloth he put it in. It changed from it's clear crystal color to a golden yellow with a faint glow inside. Alkan was able to communicate with Cui-Ling and she told him not to tell Kazuma about her being in this state. The reason being is that she thinks that he would be crestfallen if he learned about the state she was in with no way getting back to normal. Alkan said that he was working on a way to return her to normal but she argued that Kazuma would have probably moved on by then. Alkan personally doubted that since he knew that Kazuma still had resentment his old family, the Kannagi.

As for Alkan himself, he was one of the most powerful mages in the world, called an Elementalist. An Elementalist was a mage that was able to wield all four elements and were revered as legends. Elementalists were rare back in ancient times and are even rarer in modern times. Alkan was a very special case since not only could he wield all four elements, he had contracts with all four spirits. Although, the contracts were not with the spirit kings but with four spirits just as strong as them, which is indirectly having contracts with the spirit kings in a way.

Now Alkan was living as a tradesman mage traveling around the Asian continent doing jobs here and there. He was well of with the amount of money he accumulated in a few years and was now looking for a way to return Cui-Ling back to normal. Unfortunately it wasn't going well as he continued traveling.

Presently it was around five in the morning and Alkan grumble as he couldn't get back to sleep. That was when his cell phone ringed and Alkan wondered if it was a coincidence. He reached over and answered it, "Hello?"

"Alkan! Good morning to you!" A loud, male voice shouted from the other end.

Alkan winced and knew who it was, "Ugh, do you have to be so loud this early in the morning Lan?!"

Lan Kurusaki was a friend of Alkan's who sets him up with jobs involving magic around Japan. Thanks to him he managed to make a great name for himself among the people as an expert exorcist, among other things. Though it pissed him off that Lan would sometimes call him at the most inconvenient times for him, like now for instance. Lan replied, "Hey at least you're awake Alkan!"

Alkan shook his head and said, "Ugh, fine whatever. So what's going on?"

"I have another job for you, and this time it's a big one!" Lan told him.

This grabbed Alkan's attention. Normally Lan would send him a job that involved dealing with a youma. The only time Lan would say a job was a big one was when there were two things involved: a lot of money and the high level of danger the job had. Alkan asked in a serious tone, "So what's the mission?"

Lan replied, "There's been a demon in the form of a human running around Tokyo causing havoc. I even heard that it helped the Fuuga Clan serving the Kannagi family with something, and we all know that when a demon helps humans, they're up to no good."

'Kannagi? Kazuma's former family?' Alkan thought to himself as Lan went on, "Your job pretty simple: eliminate the demon with extreme prejudice. The pay: three billion yen."

"Three billion?! Man they must be pretty desperate to get rid of this demon. By the way, you said Kannagi right? Why isn't the Kannagi family dealing with this?" Alkan asked.

"Well, you see they seem to be having some internal problems at the moment and they seem to involve your friend Kazuma Yagami." Lan said.

Alkan sighed and thought, 'So Kazuma's back in Japan huh? The Kannagi are sure going to have their hands full.' He said, "Okay then, and tell the employer that the job will be finished today. I'll be expecting the money in my account by tomorrow then."

"Okay then Alkan. See you later." Lan said before he hung up. Alkan closed his cell phone and started to get dressed. He grabbed the pendant and put it on before covering it with his shirt. Then he grabbed his eye patch covered his left eye with it. The reason for this was that Alkan had heterochromatic eyes. One was brown while the other was blood red. This appearance with his black hair kind of made him intimidating especially to children. Now he wears a special eye patch that lets him see through it while covering his eye from the public. Once he was fully dressed he threw his black cloak on and grabbed all his things stuffing them into his bag before leaving the room.

On the ground floor he checked out of the hotel before stepping into the streets of Saitama. That was when Cui-Ling's voice spoke to him telepathically, 'So, Kazuma came back to Japan.'

'I guess so.' Alkan replied as he started to look for a place he could eat breakfast.

'I hope he can make amends with his family.' Cui-Ling told him sincerely.

Alkan snorted as he walked into a restaurant and ordered breakfast, 'I honestly doubt it. After all he's been through he won't forgive them just like that.' Alkan started to eat after explaining things to her.

'But one could hope…' Cui-Ling said in a hopeful voice.

'I guess…' Alkan thought before he finished his breakfast.

Cui-Ling stopped talking to him after Alkan paid for his meal. He traveled to a nearby forest and when he found that no one was around, he used the wind to fly and make himself invisible. He felt at peace with the wind flowing past him. Personally his opinion was that out of all the elements, the wind was the easiest to work with, since it was very flexible in it's functions.

Alkan managed to arrive at the outskirts of Tokyo around noon and he could already feel strong negative energy coming from the nearby forests. He headed over to where he felt the energy come from only to find a huge youma with black wings flying past with Kazuma chasing after it holding a girl and boy with him.

As much as Alkan wanted to help with that youma he had to press on and find the demon that started all of this. He was so focused on the job that he didn't notice Cui-Ling's voice which said, "Kazuma…"

After a bit of searching using his wind abilities he found the demon near the mountain range. To his disgust, the demon was in the form of a teenage girl with long black hair and she seemed to be watching the battle between the youma and Kazuma's company with interest. When Alkan revealed himself and landed, the demon turned to look at him and said, "My, it's rare for a human to seek me out."

Alkan looked at the demon and noticed that she was wearing the same uniform as the girl Kazuma was carrying with him. He stared at her unnatural glowing blue eyes and thought, 'Damn, this girl's no demon, she's just been possessed by one.' Alkan asked in a serious tone, "Who the heck are you?"

"Oh my, aren't we in a hurry?" The demon teased, "Since you asked, my name is Azure, it's a pleasure."

"I see, well I would love to chat some more but I have a job to do." Alkan said before he sent a powerful blast of wind to Azure which she dodged. Azure looked amused and said, "A Fuujutsushi? This will be quite entertaining." She slashed the air with her hands sending wind blades flying at Alkan.

Alkan blocked her blades with his own wind barrier and thought, 'Ha, she thinks I'm only a Fuujutsushi huh? I'll use that to my advantage.'

The two battled on with neither one managing to land a hit. Azure taunted, "Is this the best you could do? It's starting to get boring you know."

'Tch, this bitch is stronger than I thought. Not to mention I might hurt the girl if I go all out on her.' Alkan dodged a cyclone that she sent his way and thought, 'Time to give this girl a nice surprise.'

But before he could do anything several youma in the form of dogs appeared and attacked Alkan. He was surprised at their appearance and he quickly dodged and destroyed the dogs with the wind of purification. Azure said, "Hahaha. Taken by surprise are we? Summoning youma is one of my specialties."

Alkan was about to launch another attack when he felt a great change in the wind, not to mention power from the wind spirits flowing to a certain place. Alkan thought, 'Kazuma must've activated his contract. That must mean the enemy must be very strong, even for him. Well, I guess that must mean I should end this.'

Azure saw him standing there and said, "What's wrong? Lost your nerve? Well then, let me take the initiative." She summoned five more youma attack dogs and ordered them to charge. All of a sudden the entire field was engulfed with fire, destroying the dogs and making Azure fly into the air, "What the heck was that?!"

As the fire subsided Azure dodged wind blades that came from behind her, forcing her back on the ground. At that moment Azure made another dodge as earthen spikes sprung up trying to trap her. Suddenly a blast of water hit Azure in the stomach with the force of a hammer and sent her flying. She landed on the ground and when she got up she hissed, "What the heck is going on here?!" Azure tried to search for other people around but all she could sense in the immediate vicinity was Alkan, "That can't be all your doing. No human can control all the elements, except-."

"An Elementalist." Alkan finished her sentence. With this Azure muttered, "Damn, I can't win against one of those. Their powers are legendary." With that Azure tried to escape but Alkan used his wind powers to pin her to the ground. She struggled with great difficulty to get free while Alkan walked towards her but the wind was pounding her down.

When he was right in front of her the wind died down and Alkan grabbed Azure by the collar and lifted her up. Then earthen spikes shot up and trapped Azure in place. She gave Alkan a spiteful look and said, "So now what? Are you going to exorcise me? I'll devour this girl if you do!"

Alkan ignored her and held his hand towards her saying, "I beseech the wind and fire spirits, cleanse the demon from this innocent!"

At that moment fire and wind engulfed her and Alkan heard her scream in pain. The ritual only lasted for a bit then both the fire and wind died down and the girl collapsed. He clapped his hands together and said, "Thank you spirits for rescuing this girl."

The spikes dissipated as the girl fell to the ground. Alkan picked her up and slung her over his shoulder gently. The sky cleared up at the same time and Alkan thought, 'I guess the battle must be over. Better go check to see if he's still standing.'

With that he flew into the air with the girl over his shoulder and went over to where he felt the wind spirits gather. He looked back and said, "I hope everything's alright."

When he landed near the sight he was treated to an interesting scene. Kazuma was lying on the ground with the girl he was with sitting on top of him with her uniform torn up. A boy with blond hair and green eyes was watching the scene with great embarrassment. The girl was about to torch him with her sword when Alkan whistled and said, "Wow Kazuma, you're usually on the top in situations like this. Straight to the entertainment after business, am I right?"

The girl scrambled to get off Kazuma and swung her sword around which Alkan recognized as Enraiha and pointed it at him saying, "Who are you?"

Kazuma managed to get back up and said, "Back down Ayano, he isn't an enemy."

"But Kazuma…" Ayano said as she reluctantly put away Enraiha.

Alkan approached Kazuma and said, "Hey Kazuma, it's been awhile."

"About a year, from what I remember." Kazuma replied. Then to the surprise of Ayano and the boy, Alkan locked arms with Kazuma and they both smiled, something the other two don't see Kazuma do often. Alkan said, "It's good to see you again Kazuma."

"It's good to see you too Al." Kazuma replied as they both separated. Then Kazuma noticed the girl over Alkan's shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Alkan noticed this and explained, "No, it's not what you're thinking. This girl was possessed by a demon that manipulated the Fuuga clan. I was sent to get rid of it."

The other two took note of this and Alkan said, "So, you mind introducing me?" He nodded to the other two.

"Oh right. Ayano, Ren, come over here." The other two walked up to Kazuma and he said, "The girl in the ripped up uniform is Ayano Kannagi and the boy here is my little brother, Ren Kannagi."

Alkan bowed and said, "It's nice to meet you, I'm Alkan Hosenkou, and I'm a friend of Kazuma's."

"It's nice to meet you." Ayano and Ren both said. Then Alkan put the girl down on the ground and asked, "Excuse me, but can you identify this girl Ayano Kannagi-san?"

Ayano looked at the girl for a moment then said, "I know her! She's a classmate of mine, Chisato Morigami. She was absent for a few days as I recall."

Alkan sighed and said, "Well that answers a few things." He took off his cloak and wrapped it around Ayano saying, "A young lady like yourself shouldn't go around looking like that." Ayano blushed and stuttered, "T-thank y-you."

Kazuma however had something else to say, "Well, she didn't seem to mind going around looking like that a moment ago."

Ayano got angry again and hissed, "Kazuma…!" but Alkan put his hand on her shoulder and said, "You can roast him later. Shouldn't we get out of here first before the police arrive? I'm sure that cyclone was quite visible from downtown Tokyo."

"Ugh, he's right. We'd better get moving." Kazuma said. Then he grabbed Ayano and Ren while Alkan picked up Chisato's body. Both Kazuma and Alkan flew into the air and Alkan shouted, "Lead the way Kazuma!"

While they were flying Ayano asked, "So you're a Fuujutsushi like Kazuma, right Housenkou-san?"

Alkan replied, "Call me Alkan. I guess you can say that Kannagi-san."

Ayano looked confused and Ren asked, "What does he mean nii-san?"

Kazuma looked at Alkan and Alkan gave a nod. Then he said, "You've heard of mages that can manipulate more than one element right?"

Both Ayano and Ren nodded and Ayano asked, "So Alkan can manipulate two elements?"

Kazuma laughed and said, "Far more than that. Alkan here can wield all four of the elements! He's an Elementalist."

Ayano and Ren were quite shocked, for all they knew Elementalists were very powerful, that they were on the same level as Contractors. They also knew that they were very rare since there were very few people who had the talent or skill of wielding more that one element. Alkan said, "Yes it's true." Though there was something special about Alkan even Kazuma didn't know about. Something special that he only had to use the power only once in the three years since he obtained it.

Alkan shook the thought away as Ren said, "Wow nii-san, I never knew that you knew an Elementalist like Alkan-san."

"Well, I'll tell you the story someday then." Kazuma replied. The group approached the Kannagi estate and they landed in the garden. Alkan took Chisato and said, "Could you take care of Morigami-san for me Kannagi-san? I've got other things to do."

"Sure, and you can call me Ayano, it's less confusing that way." Ayano told him as she took Chisato in her arms.

"Sure thing Ayano. See ya later." Alkan said as he took off.

"I'd better get going too. I have some things I need to take care of." Kazuma said and without warning he took off after Alkan.

A while later the police arrived at the scene with Kirika Tachibana surveying the area. She says to herself, "So, he finally came back." That's when an officer approached and said, "Ma'am we've found another area that seems to be linked to this site."

This caught Kirika's attention and with that the officer led Kirika and several others to the site where Alkan fought Azure. There were a few scorch marks here and there, several gashes, upturned earth, and several puddles despite there not being any rain. She whispered, "Who on earth could have done this?" as she motioned several of the officers to check the field.

Back in Tokyo Alkan had to look for a place to stay for the night since he didn't have any arrangements. 'I'd better call Lan tomorrow to talk about that.' He managed to find a decent hotel that had a luxury room. As he finished with all the payments he turned around and found that Kazuma came in. He noticed that Alkan was there too and said, "Staying here too?"

"Yeah, just for the night. I didn't make any arrangements, heck I just got the job today." Alkan told him.

Kazuma said, "I see. By the way I was wondering, how much were you paid for your job?"

Alkan smirked and said, "Always about the money huh Kazuma. It was three billion yen, if I'm not mistaken."

"Tch." Kazuma spat out. From that Alkan could tell that he was getting the bigger paycheck. Alkan nodded his head over to the lounge section of the hotel and said, "C'mon let's go grab a seat. I wanna hear what you've been up to lately."

"Sure thing Al." Kazuma said as the two walked to the lounge together.

Meanwhile back at the Kannagi residence Ayano and Ren were informing Jugo Kannagi about how the situation went. He was quite surprised to learn that Alkan was summoned to Tokyo to deal with a demon. Jugo said, "So the Elementalist has come to Tokyo. Things just get more complicated."

"Father, do you happen to know Alkan?" Ayano asked.

"No not personally," Jugo replied, "But word of his many deeds have traveled throughout Japan and he's well known as a helper to the people. His powers are rumored to be legendary also, even for an Elementalist. I have no doubt that the Kannagi family at full strength wouldn't be able to defeat him."

Ayano and Ren were shocked at Jugo's revelation. To think that one man had the power to wipeout an entire clan like the Kannagi was unbelievable. Then Jugo said, "Tomorrow we will be holding a celebration for the thwarted attempt of the Fuuga clan's rebellion. I will be sending invitations for both Kazuma and Hosenkou-san to join us in this event. Personally I'm curious how Hosenkou-san is related to Kazuma."

"All I know is that Alkan seems to be better mannered than Kazuma." Ayano muttered under her breath. Ren heard what she said and sighed.

Jugo said, "Okay, on to the subject with Chisato Morigami. We have informed her family of the situation and they have asked us to take care of her for a few days. It seems that she came here on a scholarship and that she's currently living alone in an apartment."

"That's horrible, a young girl living by herself," Ayano said, "Could we ask her if she wants to stay with us. She is one of my classmates, even if we don't talk much."

"We'll see about that," Jugo told her, "For now we'll leave the matter on hold until Morigami-san recovers. You may take your leave now."

When both Ayano and Ren left Jugo was in deep thought, 'With Hosenkou-san here the situation seems to have become much more complicated. But maybe I can convince him to help, seeing as he's Kazuma's friend and all.

Back at the hotel Alkan sneezed as he made his way to his hotel room. It wasn't as exquisite as Kazuma's who seemed to be staying in the bachelor's suite on the top floor. His situation was that the last hotel he was staying at was destroyed by an attack by the Fuuga clan. He shook his head as he lay down on the bed. That was when Cui-Ling's voice rang through is head, 'Kazuma…'

'Oh, Cui-Ling…' Alkan thought hazily. He was a bit tired after all that had happened so his focus was less than normal. Cui-Ling said, 'Kazuma hasn't moved on after what happened to me…'

'I know, I can tell that from his eyes while we talked.' Alkan told her. Then he asked, 'Do you still love him?'

'Yes, I do…' Cui-Ling replied but to Alkan her voice seemed to trail off.

'I see…' Alkan replied as he felt a small twinge in his heart.

'Alkan…' Cui-Ling started but Alkan said, 'Sorry, I'm just tired from today, that's all.'

Alkan got changed and he put the pendant on the bedside table. Then he crawled into bed and he was out like a light.


	2. Incidents

Chapter 2 – Incidents

It was around nine in the morning when Alkan woke up to the sound of the phone ringing in his hotel room. He groaned and got up to pick up the phone. He said, "Hello?"

"Hello this is the reception room speaking," the voice on the other end of the line said, "Mr. Hosenkou, you have a message from the Kannagi clan inviting you to their celebration today at 11 o'clock. That's the message that was left for you. Have a good day." Alkan hung the phone up and he got out of bed. He thought to himself, 'I'm sure that Kazuma would definitely be there since he was involved but why am I invited?'

Alkan paused for a second trying to find an answer but couldn't so he continued to get dressed. He was about to look for his cloak when he realized that he had given it to Ayano to cover herself. He thought, 'Well, at least I now have another reason to visit the Kannagi estate.' Alkan took out a spare coat which he bought a few days ago and put it on.

When he reached the lobby he went to the front desk to check out and he found Kazuma standing near the entrance. Alkan walked over and said, "Yo Kazuma."

Kazuma looked up and said, "Oh Alkan. What's up?"

"Did you get an invitation from the Kannagi?" Alkan asked.

"How do you know?" Kazuma asked him, not really surprised in the slightest.

"I got one too." Alkan replied in a matter-of-fact kind of way, "Why they sent me one I have no clue, but I have to go there anyway to get my cloak jacket back from Ayano."

Kazuma just looked at him and Alkan said, "Well, since there's still time why don't you show me around town and get some breakfast while we're at it?"

"I haven't been here in four years and I wasn't let out of the mansion back then either." Kazuma explained to him.

"Well then, I guess we'll have to explore the town then." Alkan said. Kazuma shook his head at his friend's sudden enthusiasm. This painfully made him remember the times when he, Alkan, and Cui-Ling were together.

***

It was a bit past 12 o'clock when the Kannagi clan was waiting for Kazuma and Alkan to arrive. Normally they would have started already but since they heard that the Elementalist was attending they waited in respect of him. Ayano was pretty furious and was muttering, "Where the heck are they? I bet Kazuma has something to do with this…"

Ren tried to calm her down saying, "Um nee-sama, please calm down. I'm sure something just happened…"

Ayano looked at Ren with daggers in her eyes when the sliding door opened. At the entrance was Kazuma, drawing the attention of the other family members. Kazuma just walked in and said, "Sorry I'm late." Then he took the seat beside Ayano as she hissed, "Where's Alkan-?"

"He's coming right now." Kazuma interrupted and as if right on queue, Alkan appeared at the entrance. Immediately all of the Kannagi family members, even Jugo, bowed their heads at his presence. Ayano and Ren looked confused while Kazuma looked a bit amused at the scene. Alkan said, "Please raise your heads members of Kannagi. I apologize for being late with Kazuma; we were just finishing up a sudden job that was handed to us."

Ayano noticed Kazuma's small smirk and could instantly tell that there was something wrong with Alkan's story but didn't press on it at the moment. Jugo and the others raised their heads and he said, "Please think nothing about it. I'm sure it must have been of great importance Hosenkou-dono."

"Thank you very much. I see that all of you have been waiting for us to arrive and have left your food untouched. Allow me to warm the food up for all of you." Alkan muttered a few things and suddenly the food started steaming again like it's been freshly cooked. Everyone except Kazuma were amazed at what Alkan did as he went over and sat beside Kazuma.

With that Jugo introduced Kazuma as the one who helped with the Fuuga clan incident and Alkan who got rid of the demon that stirred the Fuuga clan into rebelling.

While everyone was eating Ren appeared around Kazuma and started asking him if he needed anything. Alkan smirked while Ayano was annoyed that Ren was trying to serve Kazuma. That was when Kazuma said, "It okay Ren, but you're in the way."

Alkan looked to where Kazuma was talking about and saw a girl in a kimono bowing towards Kazuma. He was finished eating so he looked up to where the girl was bowing. He took a look at her and he said, "You are…?"

She lifted her head and said, "My name's Misao Oogami. I was told to attend to you so please feel free to let me know if you need anything Kazuma-sama."

Kazuma got up and went over touching Misao's cheek and said, "Whatever I need huh? Would you attend to me in bed as well?"

Alkan smirked at what sounded like a bad case of flirting as Misao said, "If that's what you desire." He almost spat the food out from his mouth at that sentence. When the two were about to kiss Ayano jumped in between them and she shielded Misao from Kazuma shouting, "You jerk, what do you think you're doing?" She turned to Misao asking, "What the heck is wrong with you Misao? You don't need to serve a lowlife such as him!"

"You know, that was pretty harsh even for you Ayano." Kazuma said as Alkan smirked again.

That was when Misao said to Ayano, "Please don't be upset Ayano-sama, we are celebrating the end of the incident with the Fuuga clan, not to mention he avenged my onii-sama. So I don't mind repaying him as thanks for what he did."

"He's already been paid, so there's no need to thank him!" Ayano snapped.

"She's right you know, there's no need for thanks. Not to mention that I'm half-responsible for killing her brother." Kazuma said in a casual tone.

As Alkan finished eating he suddenly felt a malicious intent coming from Misao. He figured that she was going to do something bad to Kazuma due to what he said but didn't care. He knew that Kazuma would take care of himself somehow, he always does. Alkan sighed however at Kazuma's poor choice of words as Ayano asked, "What the heck do you mean by that?!"

While Kazuma went on with his speech Alkan noticed Misao shaking from every word Kazuma said. When he said, "So you should feel free to use whatever's hidden in your sleeve too." Misao suddenly took a knife out of her sleeve and stabbed Kazuma in the back, shocking everyone in the room. Only Alkan and Jugo were calm and they continued to drink their tea.

Both Ren and Ayano called out to Kazuma while he was still silent. Then he asked, "Do you feel better now?" it was revealed that Misao's knife was blocked by wind which Ayano and Ren sighed in relief. She drew her knife back as Ayano called to Jugo to do something about the situation. Jugo said to Kazuma, "Kazuma, if you're not going to punish Misao then we will." He turned to Misao's father and asked, "Is this okay with you Masayuki?"

Masayuki replied, "Yes, since she's a Kannagi she should be prepared for it."

"I don't think that's necessary." Kazuma interrupted, surprising the two, "I'm not hurt, and there wasn't any danger to begin with."

Jugo said, "If you say that, then I guess there's no reason to punish her. But this should not be ignored so Misao, you'll be confined to your home for a while."

That was when Misao burst out, "Why?! Why did my brother have to-?!"

At that moment it was like a flash. Alkan had disappeared and reappeared behind Misao and he knocked her unconscious from behind. This was shocking to everyone in the room and Alkan said, "I'm very sorry but the situation and conversation were giving me a headache so I took action and again, I'm very sorry." He gave Misao to Ayano and he saw the irritated look on his face as Alkan turned to Jugo and said, "I'm very sorry about this Soushu-dono but I think it's best for us to leave now." He held out his hand and his cloak that was laying beside Ayano's pillow flew into his hand as he said, "Thanks for taking care of my coat Ayano."

She was still stunned at what happened and all she could say was, "Y-your welcome…"

He then opened the door and said, "If you excuse us." Then he forcefully pushed Kazuma out the door and closed it behind him.

Outside the Kannagi estate Kazuma asked, "What was that all about?"

"You ask me." Alkan said, clearly still irritated, "It was supposed to be a celebration, not that fiasco."

"Whatever." Kazuma said as his cell phone rang. He answered it as Alkan said, "Well, I'll see you later then."

"Yeah." Kazuma said as Alkan walked off.

***

It was around four as Alkan was walking around town blowing off steam after what happened. Half the time he was just wandering aimlessly, while the other half was finding an apartment he could rent out. He tried to call Lan about it but for some reason he couldn't get through to him so he looked for himself. Fortunately he found a place that was right for him and coincidentally, it was near the Kannagi estate. He took out his wallet to place the address card in when suddenly a man ran by and swiped it from him.

Alkan ran after the guy and he tried to catch up to him. Eventually he got fed up and pulled out a bamboo needle gun from his coat and shot the guy in the leg. Immediately he fell down right in the middle where he could see Ayano and Kazuma together with three ladies he didn't know. They were quite surprised to see a man fall down right in front of them and then they saw Alkan run up to them.

The man tried to get away but Alkan kicked him over and said in a dangerous voice, "You'd better give me back my wallet or else you'll find out why I'm known as a nut-crusher."

This coupled with the look Alkan was giving him caused the man to faint in fear. He said, "Tch, so that's it." He grabbed his wallet from the man's hand and stuffed it back into his pocket. Then he picked up the man and threw him into a nearby garbage can, apparently unaware of those watching him.

He cleaned his hands and that's when he noticed them. He said, "Oh, Ayano, Kazuma."

"Alkan? What're you doing here?" Ayano said, her two friends looking confused.

"It's just as you saw." Alkan said shortly. Kazuma added, "And doing a great job while you're at it too." He pointed to the man in the trash can.

The blond beside Kazuma laughed and said, "Still the same as usual Alkan?"

Alkan was a bit confused until he took a closer look at the blond, "You're…hold on, you're Kirika, aren't you?"

Kirika smiled and said, "It's been a while hasn't it?"

"No kidding." Alkan looked behind the two and saw a street for love hotels. He raised an eyebrow and said, "How interesting."

Ayano went back to her angry self and Kazuma said, "Well, as I was saying, kids like you shouldn't be playing in a place like this. See ya later."

"Bye Alkan." Kirika said as she walked away with Kazuma, not before turning back and giving her a look at Ayano. Alkan then said, "Well that was interesting, see you later Ayano." He walked the other way giving Ayano a wave.

Ayano was so angry that she didn't hear Alkan as he left. Her two friends, Yukari and Nanase, were talking behind her about Ayano liking Kazuma, which she snapped, "What are you two talking about?!"

"Your boyfriend, who else?! It seems that he doesn't return your feelings though." Yukari told her.

Ayano went into a rant saying, "Who would like a jerk like that?! In the whole wide world, he's the person I hate the most!"

Then Nanase asked, "Then what about that Alkan person?"

This stopped Ayano in her tracks as she said, "Eh? What do you mean?"

Yukari stepped in saying, "Well, your attitude seemed to change the instant he came along, despite that incident."

Ayano blushed a bit saying, "No way, Alkan's just a friend. Anyway I don't like either of them that way, but I hate Kazuma the most!" She scratched her head and said, "Oops, I forgot to do something, I'll see you two later!" She ran off leaving the two of them alone.

Yukari asked, "So what do you think about this?"

"I have a feeling that things are going to get interesting from her on out." Nanase replied.

"I feel the same way!" Yukari said with a smile.

Meanwhile Alkan used his Fuujutsu abilities to head for the house that he was renting out since he didn't want to run into anyone like the last guy. When he arrived he checked the place out. The building was a three story apartment complex with five rooms on each floor. His room was on the top floor at the left end of the building. He walked up to his room and went inside. There were three rooms inside excluding the kitchen and what looked like the living room separated them. The rent for a nice place like this was a bit more than usual but it was fine with his savings. After he was done he felt satisfied and he decided that he was going to stay here for a while. All the moving around constantly was starting to catch up to him and he felt sick from it.

He left the house and was about to head for the real estate office when he noticed Misao walking on the street. He wondered what was going on so he used Fuujutsu to make himself invisible. Alkan tailed her until she went into a coffee house where he waited. To his surprise he saw Ayano and Ren run toward him. Ren stopped for breath and that's when he spotted Kazuma on the second floor.

The two ran behind the tree Alkan was leaning on and stifled a laugh thinking, 'What the heck is with these two?'

Then they saw Misao walk up to Kazuma and a few minutes later the two walked out of the coffee house arms locked together. Alkan followed with Ayano and Ren behind him.

As the three followed the two Alkan couldn't believe how obvious the two were being while follow them and listening to their conversation. Kazuma looked behind him and gave a sigh thinking, 'At least Alkan's being subtle about this.'

"Is something the matter Kazuma-sama?"

"No, it's nothing." Kazuma replied. He led Misao down the hotel alley that they were at earlier and eventually ended up at a hotel called Campanera. Alkan slipped through the entranceway while Ayano and Ren were at the post nearby. Alkan leaned on the wall next to the entranceway when suddenly he felt Ayano's fire and figure that she was pissed about something related to Kazuma.

As Alkan watched he saw Misao walk away from him and a sniper shot 'hit' him three times sending him to the wall. Then four men in suits came in and fired their machine guns at him. Alkan thought, 'If she was smart she would have noticed the lack of blood coming from Kazuma.' He shook his head at this as the men finished it with three grenades which blew up.

When Ayano and Ren came in they exchanged words and Misao was shocked when she saw Kazuma was alive and he took out all the men including the sniper. When Kazuma said, "You sure have changed, Misao." Alkan decided to act now. He went up behind her and tapped her on the left shoulder. When she turned around she saw no one and he tapped her on the right shoulder. Kazuma raised an eyebrow and Ayano and Ren were puzzled at Misao's movements. Then Alkan poked her in the sides which made her go, "Kyah!" Then he went to her front and flicked her forehead, nearly making her fall backwards.

When she recovered she asked, "Is this your doing Kazuma-sama?!"

Kazuma smirked and said, "I wish. Why don't you come out now Alkan!"

Alkan appeared at the side between them and said, "Jeez Kazuma, you sure know how to take the fun out of everything."

Misao looked at Alkan with disgust for a second before she said, "Hosenkou-sama, what are you doing here?"

"I was tailing you, since I thought you weren't supposed to be out on the street. Since you looked so tense I thought I would loosen you up." Alkan told her sarcastically.

"I see…" Misao said. Then she turned her attention back to Kazuma and said, "I've changed? Did you know me well enough to say such a thing?"

Kazuma was silent before he replied, "I guess you have a point."

"Alright you three break it up! Misao you're going to come with me and explain everything to the Soushu!" She tried to get at Misao but she threw her purse at Ayano as she made a break for it. Ayano chased after her with Ren behind her. When Kazuma went to pick up Misao's purse Alkan said, "She's turned into a vengeful little thing hasn't she?"

Kazuma didn't respond to that as he said to himself, "It's been ten years huh? A very long time."

***

Ayano and Ren chased Misao to the top of a nearby building and cornered her. The two confronted her and both Ayano and Misao were about to face off when Kazuma flew in with Alkan behind him. He called out, "Oi, what are you two doing?"

"Kazuma!" Ayano shouted as he flew in between them. As Alkan landed on top of the structure behind to watch he saw Ayano demanding what he was doing while giving Misao back her purse. Suddenly Misao attacks Kazuma with her powers and keeps on going despite them not going through Kazuma's barrier. Alkan thought to himself, 'That girl, against Kazuma she has no chance of winning. How pitiful.' Unable to watch anymore Alkan left the scene.

As he was leaving he suddenly had a feeling of dread and malice for a second and thought, 'Hm? What was that? Maybe it's just my imagination.'

The rain continued to fall as Alkan went around town, buying things for his new apartment that would be sent to the place the next day since it was raining. He walked around and he bumped into Kazuma. The two walked together and he asked, "So, how was it."

"Don't want to talk about it." Kazuma said shortly.

"That bad huh?" Alkan mused as the two continued to walk. They stopped at a ramen stand for dinner as the rain let up. The two ate in silence as Kazuma continued to what Alkan assumed was reflecting on what happened earlier. The two parted ways as Alkan walked towards his apartment. That was when his cell rang and saw that it was Lan. He answered it and said, "Yeah?"

"Yo, I heard that you're staying in Tokyo for a while!" Lan said.

"From who?" Alkan asked. He never told anybody about this yet since he made the decision last night.

"I've got my sources." Lan said smugly, "Well tell me the address and I'll have your stuff sent to your new home."

Alkan smiled at that since most of his things were video game consoles and his collection of games. He said, "Thanks Lan, I appreciate it. Later." He hung up as he approached his apartment. At the front door he took out his keys and opened the door. He went in saying, "I'm home." to no one in particular. He turned on the lights and took off his coat. All four rooms were empty as he went into the bedroom. He opened the closets only to find them empty. He sighed and thought, 'I'm glad that I bought a futon earlier. Well I guess it's time to turn in.'

'Alkan,' Cui-Ling's voice suddenly called out from the crystal, 'was that girl, the one Kazuma talked about?'

"Apparently," Alkan replied, "I guess that's why Kazuma's been taking it easy on her. Let's just hope she doesn't turn into a psychotic nutcase or something like that."

Alkan was going to find out later how very wrong he was.

***

In various places in Tokyo people were being drained of their life force by a slime-like presence at night. Most of the victims are young homeless people but the slime has claimed a number of civilians as well.

At an unknown location Misao was bowing before a boy with blond hair and green eyes acting like she was worshipping him. The boy, Michael Harley said, "Now it's time."

Misao replied, "Yes, Angel-sama." As Michael looked at Misao he thought, 'Soon, thanks to this girl I'll finally gain enough power to destroy our most hated enemies, Kazuma Yagami and Alkan Simure Hosenkou.'

Michael relished the thought as he smiled. Misao noticed but didn't care since he was a savior to her. She continued to 'worship' him without a care in the world.

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Note: Thanks for the reviews and I can see where all of you are getting at. Details about his powers will be revealed through various chapters and as for his faults, well something interesting will happen at the end of the Misao arc. Also I'm sorry if this part sounds like I ripped it off from the anime.


	3. Investigation

Chapter 3 – Investigation

The next day Alkan got up around seven from his less than comfortable sleeping position. Since he went to sleep without getting changed he threw on his spare coat on since his other one looked like a crossbreed between a trench coat and the cloak from the game Kingdom Hearts II that the Organization XIII people wear. He only wore it for business and travel reasons. The coat that he had on was similar to Kazuma's except it was grey and was a bit longer than his.

He decided to go out for some air and when he opened the door he saw his neighbor come out. He was a bit surprised but thought, 'Well, let's see what my neighbor's like.'

Alkan took a look at her and saw that she was wearing the same uniform that Ayano wears, thinking that the girl attended the same school. When she turned around to look at him he couldn't believe it. It was the girl that he exorcised the demon Azure from, Chisato Morigami. Chisato looked at him and from the look on her face she recognized him too.

There was a moment of silence and Alkan was about to say something when Chisato said, "Oh I remember you! You're the guy that saved me from that demon Azure!"

"You know me?" Alkan asked, confused since Chisato fainted instantly after Azure was exorcised from her body. Not to mention that he hasn't seen her ever since he handed her over to Ayano.

"Yes I do, see despite that demon Azure having full control over my body I was still aware of everything that was happening." Chisato told her.

"I see…" Alkan said. Then he asked, "Do you remember what happened to you before you were possessed?"

"Let's see," Chisato put a finger to her chin and said, "Um, it's a bit fuzzy but all I remember was that I was walking home from school when suddenly a blond-haired boy with green eyes came up to me. We started talking but the things he said were kind of weird. The next thing I knew was that he shoved a green ball at my chest and the next thing I knew I was possessed by Azure."

Alkan could see that this boy was the culprit of everything and he took out a talisman with wind magic he embedded it with and gave it to Chisato saying, "Here, this should keep you safe from now on."

Chisato took it and said, "Thank you. You know I never really believed in magic until I was possessed. But now I know better." She was about to leave when she turned around and said, "Oh yes, thank you for saving me, um-?"

"Alkan, Alkan Hosenkou." Alkan told her.

"Thank you very much Alkan-san." Chisato said as she left. As he watched her leave for school he thought, 'A boy with blond hair and green eyes? I'd better keep an eye out for someone like that.'

A few hours later the delivery crew came by with the things that Alkan bought yesterday, along with the packages Lan sent. As the delivery men moved the furniture to his room he overheard a few talking. One of them said, "Did you hear? About that mummified woman they found in the subway?"

"Yeah, creepy isn't it. It was like her life was sucked out or something."

This made Alkan curious since it was obvious that a mummified looking body in a subway was unnatural in every way. His thoughts were interrupted however when a delivery person said, "All your things have been delivered to your room sir. All I need is your stamp or signature."

Alkan signed it since he didn't have a stamp due to all his constant traveling. The man tipped his hat and got on the delivery truck. As the truck drove away he picked up the two boxes beside him and made his way to his room.

Inside he unpacked and arranged everything. The last place was in a room where he was setting up his flat screen T.V. and his video game consoles, which consisted of a PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3. His video game collection was huge and was mostly English language games since he was originally from Canada. He could read, write and speak Japanese and a few other languages to a certain extent due to his parents but found the English language to be the most comfortable when playing games.

When he set everything up he got excited that he completely forgot about the rumor and he instantly started to play, popping Final Fantasy X into his PS2. He thought, 'Ah, it's been weeks since I last played something. I'm gonna enjoy this.'

Cui-Ling giggled at Alkan's enthusiasm as he started playing. Well after that, let's just say that he only left the apartment only once to go grocery when he got hungry.

***

A week later Alkan was taking a shower in the bathroom since he got a call from Jugo asking him to come by. He had been playing games constantly all this time and had never taken a bath during that time, not to mention that he never left his apartment. He got out and had gotten himself dressed. He had his music up loud on his speakers that were attached to his iPod listening to Meteor by T.M. Revolution but thanks to a soundproof barrier he cast around his apartment he wasn't disturbing anyone.

He turned it off and took his iPod attaching his earphones to it and Alkan plugged his earphones into his ears as he took off. He used his Fuujutsu abilities to head towards the Kannagi estate since it sounded important.

Alkan landed in front of the estate and when he went through the gate he found a few female attendants waiting for him as he took out his earphones. When they saw him they said, "Ah, Hosenkou-sama we've been expecting you. Please, this way." They led him to the main house and he followed them until they stopped in front of a door. One of them said, "Soushu-sama is waiting for you, please go on in."

"Thank you very much ladies." Alkan said as he opened the door. Inside Jugo looked up and said, "Ah, Hosenkou-dono. Please sit."

"You know, I'm not much for formalities so you can call me Alkan if you want." Alkan told him.

Jugo smiled and said, "Then you can refer to me the same way."

"Okay then, so what's the situation Jugo?" Alkan asked.

Jugo's smile vanished and he said, "I assume you've heard about what's been happening around town, about the mummified bodies?"

Alkan thought about it until he remembered the conversation between the two deliverymen a week ago, "Yes I have heard about it."

"Good then here's what I'm proposing. Since the rebellion of the Fuuga clan our tracking abilities have diminished. What I'm asking is for you to locate the person behind the attacks and eliminate them. I have already sent Ayano to ask Kazuma to do a similar job so you two will be working together if you meet up with him."

"I see, well then I accept." Alkan said, he got up and was about to leave when he said, "Oh, and about the pay, pay me half of what you're paying Kazuma. Knowing him it will be a ridiculous amount for him so I don't have a problem with half the amount."

When he left Jugo chuckled to himself and said, "He's so different from Kazuma, makes me wonder how they became friends."

Outside the estate he closed his eyes and focused on the wind. Out of all the elements, he was the most skilled with wind, followed by water, earth, and lastly fire. He pretty much doubted he could beat the strongest Kannagi if he used his fire abilities alone but with wind alone, he had the chance of beating even Kazuma.

It took a minute but he felt a malicious and dark aura on the wind and he flew into the air heading for the source. A few minutes later he landed in a park and found Misao there sitting on a bench. He could see the putrid aura around her as she said, "Oh, Hosenkou-sama, what a surprise. What brings you here?"

"Your aura stank like hell, so I'm here to check it out." Alkan replied.

"I see, well I'm quite surprised that you found me before Kazuma-sama." Misao said as her aura swelled a bit.

"Between him and me I'm the better Fuujutsushi, since I use my wind abilities the most." Alkan told her as he started to walk towards her.

Misao was about to say something when Kazuma flew in. He was a bit surprised to find Alkan with her and said, "Do you know what you're doing? You'd go this far to kill me?"

'Oh god, is this what it's all about?!' Alkan thought in disbelief as Misao replied, "Of course I do. Although, I surprised that you found me but I guess if Hosenkou-sama can, I guess you could too."

Alkan stepped in and asked, "Are you the one devouring people Misao?"

"Yes I am, all for the sake of killing Kazuma Yagami, the one who killed my brother. If I continue to gain power I might even be able to surpass you Hosenkou-sama." Misao replied in a calm manner.

"If you can control it." Kazuma said to her.

"Oh I will. No matter what powers you have you're only still human. I swore that I would defeat you at all costs. Also, if you get in my way Hosenkou-sama, I'll have no choice but to kill you as well."

At this Alkan laughed a bit in disbelief and a voice shouted, "Is that all you have to say?!"

Everyone turned to see Ayano running into the park. She stopped to catch her breath as Misao said, "Ayano-sama…"

"Ayano." Kazuma said. Alkan shook his head thinking, 'Oh boy, this isn't good.'

"That aura of yours is so disgusting that even I can see it! I also know what you've been doing too!" Ayano shouted as she marched towards the three.

Alkan stayed silent as the other two told her to stay out of this. She ignored them and shouted, "I don't care if you want to kill Kazuma, but I can't let what you did to those innocent people slide! I'll take care of you myself!" She materialized Enraiha and pointed it at Misao.

Kazuma tried to stop her as Alkan shook his head again. Her fire became so intense that Kazuma had to pull back. Misao giggled and said, "I guess I'd better get going since the two of you are in the middle of something. I don't have enough power yet so this is goodbye for now Ayano-sama, Kazuma-sama, Hosenkou-sama."

Alkan realized what she was about to do and focused on the wind as Ayano charged at Misao shouting, "Wait!" She took a slash at her but Misao vanished dispersing her aura. Kazuma said, "Good grief…" He turned to Alkan, "You got anything."

Alkan was silent for a second before he said, "Damn, nope. Her aura completely vanished somehow."

Kazuma sighed and that was when Ayano pointed her flaming Enraiha at Kazuma and said, "Why did you let her get away?!"

"Hey why are only blaming me? Anyway, I only need to talk to her and Alkan as well." Kazuma told her.

Alkan raised an eyebrow and Ayano completely ignored the first part in her rage as she said, "Lies! If you were really serious than she wouldn't have gotten away!" Alkan felt like Ayano had completely forgotten his presence as she continued, "The Kannagi will destroy Misao, and if you interfere-!"

Kazuma gave her a deadly stare as he said, "Who the hell do you think I am little girl?" This froze Ayano in place as Alkan continued to watch in amusement, "If you want to stop me, use your powers, not your mouth!" With this he blew away Ayano's flame from Enraiha. He continued, "Come after me when you're ready."

With that Ayano lost the will to fight as Kazuma walked away. He said, "Later Alkan." before he vanished. Ayano lowered her head and asked, "What should I do?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and Ayano saw Alkan looking at her. She asked, "Since when have you been here Alkan?"

Alkan felt a twinge of annoyance as he said, "I've been here the whole time Ayano. Oh, and to answer that other question do what you always do, but at least try to think before you act, okay?"

With that Alkan vanished like Kazuma did leaving Ayano confused.

***

A few days later Alkan was continuously searching the city for that aura but came up with nothing. He thought, 'Tch, her aura must be being masked somehow. There's someone else involved with this.'

Now he was in the middle of a meeting between Ayano, Ren, Jugo, and the Oogami with him being invisible to mask his presence. He listened as Masayuki disowned Misao and Jugo telling him that he and Kazuma were being removed from the case as they had hired new help. Alkan thought to himself, 'I wonder who they managed to get?'

Then he heard Masayuki say, "Soushu, I want to confirm something. I have heard that you took Kazuma Yagami and Alkan Hosenkou off the case. I'm sorry to see that we won't have the chance of working with Hosenkou-dono but have you made progress of removing Kazuma from the case?"

"I have already told Kazuma about it but his said that he'll still continue on his own. As for Alkan I still haven't heard word from him yet." Jugo informed them.

Masayuki didn't show it but his family behind him had looks that said they would be glad if Alkan stayed on the case. Alkan notice Ayano's head bow and figured that she was thinking about the situation between Kazuma and Misao. 'She's so into him.' He thought to himself.

That was when Masayuki said, "That is a problem. I don't mind if Hosenkou-dono stays on the case but if Kazuma interferes with us we won't be able to fully focus on destroying Misao. I ask you to please stop him."

Suddenly Ayano stands up and volunteers, "I'll do it. I'll stop Kazuma."

"Well then, I guess that is all. You are free to go." Jugo said.

Everyone left except Jugo, Ayano, and Ren since Jugo gave them a look to stay behind. When all the Oogamis had left he said, "You can come out now."

When Alkan appeared he surprised Ayano and Ren. He rolled his eyes and said, "Geez, the two of you are acting like you've seen a ghost or something."

"I'm sorry for their inexperience." Jugo apologized. Alkan said, "Ah it's no problem. Anyway, I guess I'll stay on the case, but I won't interfere in the operation. Is that okay?"

"Yes, that's fine. But are you okay with that?" Jugo asked.

Alkan replied, "Yes, I'd rather let family handle family and if things get really out of hand I'll intervene."

Jugo bowed his head and said, "As you wish."

Alkan turned to Ayano and said, "You better make true on that declaration Ayano. Show him the power of your flame."

Ayano smiled and said proudly, "You don't need to tell me that Alkan. I'll show him!"

Alkan smirked but said, "Okay, but I'll say this again, at least go in there with a plan alright? Keeping him occupied is harder than it looks." He was leaving as he said, "I should know." Then he stopped and took out a card from his pocket. He threw it at Jugo and as he caught it Alkan said, "That has my cell phone's number on it, give a call if you need me."

Alkan was walking around town killing time when he ran into Chisato again. She said, "Oh, Alkan-san, it's good to see you again."

"You too, um…" Alkan started to say but Chisato interrupted him saying, "It's Chisato Morigami. You can call me Chisato if you want."

"Sure Chisato-san. You finished school?"

"Yup, I'm on my way home now. Oh yeah, thanks for the charm you gave me, it really saved my life!"

"Really? What happened?" Alkan asked, getting curious, "Hold on, let me treat you to something before you tell me." The two happened to be standing in front of a café and Chisato said, "Okay, why not."

The two went inside and both ordered cake, chocolate for Alkan and Mango for Chisato. When they started eating she started her story, "Well it was about five days ago when I was walking by myself. I had gotten out late from school and I was walking by myself in a subway when suddenly my surroundings changed. Then out of nowhere this slime started to appear. I tried running away but I tripped and fell from a crack in the ground. The slime was about to devour me when suddenly this wind came out of nowhere and repelled the slime. I closed my eyes at that time and when I opened them I found myself in front of my apartment. It was a bit confusing at first but then I saw that talisman that you gave me glow a bluish color for a second before it died. I'm truly am grateful that you gave this to me, if you didn't I would've been dead like those other people."

Alkan was glad that the talisman he gave her worked. He ate his cake and said, "Wow, so you escaped with the help of the wind huh?" He considered something like that would happen again after the demon incident but not this soon. He brushed the thought aside and said, "So, what Academy do you go too, I've seen Ayano and her friends wear the same uniform but I haven't got a clue what Academy it is."

"Ayano…? Oh, you must mean Kannagi-san. Both of us attend Seiryo Academy. It's famous for being a prestige yet affordable school for girls." Chisato told him.

"Oh? I heard that you're living alone though. Why is that? I heard that your parents are still around." Alkan went on.

"Well, Seiryo is really far from where my parents live so they rented me the apartment next to yours. They were worried at first but eventually they gave in." Chisato finished her cake and said, "Enough about me, why don't you tell me about yourself."

"Well, actually I can't say much. I don't talk about my past for various reasons but now I'm what you can say a mercenary of sorts."

"A…mercenary?"

Alkan could tell that she was confused so he explained, "Well it's like this, I've been traveling around Japan, China, and a few other places the last couple of years doing jobs that require my 'abilities'. It's mostly exorcisms and the like though."

Chisato started to understand and said, "Oh, so it's like that? It sounds more like something a wandering priest would do."

Alkan smirked and said, "Yeah I guess." He heard his cell ring and he answered it saying, "Hello?"

"Ah, Alkan?" Jugo said from the other end, "Since you're still on this case I want you to meet the head of the Special Investigations Unit. I'll give you the address."

When he recorded it Alkan said, "Okay, I got it. I'll head there as soon as possible." He hung up the phone and he got up saying, "Sorry about that, something's come up. I'll pay for the cakes. I'll see you later. Keep the change." He took out 3000 yen and slapped it on the table before he ran out.

***

Later, at night Alkan was stalking the grounds of a church where it was said that Misao was hiding out. He couldn't believe that Kirika was the head of the Special Investigations Unit. However he got passed that and he learned that Kirika had recently become the head of the unit a few months ago when the police began to go into the spiritual fields.

After a chat they got to work. Alkan was surprised at the investigative ability of the unit and in no time they found a location where Misao was hiding with Alkan confirming it. By the time the Kannagi were inform it was already nighttime.

Alkan requested that Kirika don't tell the Kannagi that he's here since it's mainly their affair and as he said before, he would only intervene if the situation got really ugly. Now he was pacing the ground invisible thanks to the wind. He tried to sense the aura but couldn't find it. 'Either Misao or someone else is suppressing that aura.' He thought to himself.

His thoughts went back to the conversation between him and Kirika as he waited.

_Flashback_

_"So, what have you been doing lately? The last time I saw you, the two of you were beating each other to a bloody mess." Kirika said._

_"Well, half the time I'm traveling around eastern Asia doing jobs here and there. The other half is spent on figuring out my family's magic, among other things." Alkan replied casually._

_Kirika asked in a soft voice, "So there really isn't anyone left in your family anymore?"_

_"Yes, on both sides they're all dead." Alkan answered bitterly, "Even anyone remotely blood related to me was slaughtered, not to mention some of my friends as well." He banged his fist on the table in anguish. Kirika was about to comfort him when he sighed and said, "Well, I guess I'll go out and scout the area."_

_Alkan walked out of the room in a hurry with Kirika looking back at him with a concerned look._

Present time

Alkan shook his head as he saw the Oogami family walk into the courtyard. He assumed that the operation has started as they walked their way to the church entrance. Sure enough, he felt barrier seals being erected all around the premises. They stood there when the church door opened. As Alkan got closer Misao came out of the church to greet her family members. As they exchanged 'pleasantries' he couldn't believe what each side was saying to each other, Misao being all nice and stuff while Masayuki was really, as some would say, less than pleasant.

Then Misao asked where Kazuma was then Ayano. When Misao said, "Ayano-sama seemed envious of me, that she didn't like the fact that Kazuma-sama's attention was all focused on me instead of her." Alkan had a lot of trouble keeping his mouth shut as he was laughing like crazy inside.

Suddenly the wind picked up and Alkan could tell that it was Kazuma. Misao thought the same thing as she looked up at the sky. He figured that Ayano was going to go out and face him but he curiously thought, 'I wonder how Ayano's going to face him. Despite the elements he's stronger than her by a long shot. It makes me wonder what strategy she has planned.'

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Note: could someone please tell me if Seiryo Academy is either a mixed or an all-girl's school in the anime?


	4. Brutality

Chapter 4 – Brutality

_Flashback – 3 years ago_

_On a mountain somewhere in Japan Alkan was training to regain his Fuujutsu abilities. What happened was that when he used the Soul-switch spell during the ritual it caused a horrible backlash due to the magic sealing blade that pinned him to the wall. Due to this, his Elementalist abilities were crippled to the point where he couldn't use them anymore. Now he was training in a place where it is said that there's a high quantity of wind spirits resided._

_Alkan was training by himself for two months already with very little progress. All he could do was summon a gentle breeze that was practically useless in combat. He assumed that the magic sealing blade combined with using the Soul-switch spell caused his connection with the elements to be severed really badly, resulting in the loss of his powers. Regardless he wasn't going to give up, he had a few things he needed to do and his powers were necessary for it._

_One day he was training as usual and was taking a break when suddenly a woman appeared beside him. Alkan was shocked at the sudden appearance and nearly fell over. The woman laughed at his reaction as he got up and took a look at the woman. She had shoulder length black hair with brown highlights with sky blue eyes that, in his opinion, looked like they glowed. She was wearing a simple short white blouse and was wearing jeans to match. The stranger held out her hand and asked, "Are you alright?"_

***

Alkan was watching the confrontation between Misao and her family while still invisible. He had crept up close enough to hear but he was far enough from any dangers, like if something like a battle would occur. It wasn't far from that when suddenly Misao smiled and he picked up traces of the dark aura from the wind and immediately pulled back a bit as it started to build.

Kazuma, who was with Ayano and Ren, noticed the change as well while facing Ayano who was using a pathetic last ditch 'plan' against him. They exchanged words about the situation about Misao and that was when both Alkan and Kazuma counted, "Three…two…one."

At that instant a black inferno suddenly engulfed the Oogamis that surprised everyone, including Alkan. At that instant he summoned the wind and revealed himself, blowing away the dark flames and revealing the now dead bodies of the Oogamis. Misao thought it was Kazuma for a moment but when Alkan appeared she said, "Oh, Hosenkou-sama, what are you doing here?"

Inside the control room Kirika was shocked at the sight of the dead bodies. When Alkan appeared she already knew that the situation just turned ugly and he was the needed backup.

"What do you think?" Alkan asked in a sarcastic tone.

Before Misao could say anything, Kazuma flew in and landed beside Alkan as Ayano and Ren ran up the stairs behind them trying to catch up. They saw the bodies between Alkan and Misao and Kazuma said, "What a horrid mess. Isn't this a bit too much? Weren't they family to you?"

"These people here aren't my family. They're only people who flatter the strong and suppress the weak. The only family I have is-."

"Your dead Onii-sama right? You know, you really got to stop sounding like some broken record Misao." Alkan interrupted with distaste.

Misao's eyes narrowed and said, "You should really stay out of this Hosenkou-sama, or I will really kill you. I will get my revenge no matter what."

Alkan laughed and said, "If you feel so strongly about it then I won't stop you." He jumped back to where Ayano and Ren were standing, "But I pretty much doubt you can kill him anyway!"

Misao looked pretty angry at Alkan's words and she said, "I'll show you. Prepare yourself Kazuma-sama!" Kazuma just stood there with a small smile on his face as Misao summoned her flame.

As they watched Alkan asked, "So, how did the plan go?"

Ayano was about to say something when Ren replied, "Two words: utter failure."

Alkan smirked and said, "I've gotta hear about this sometime." Misao just unleashed a barrage of dark fireballs that did absolutely nothing against Kazuma's barrier. Misao was shocked as she said, "Impossible…"

There was a smirk on Alkan's face as Ayano said, "Misao, if that fire was enough to kill Kazuma then I would have done it a long time ago!" Alkan added, "Your overall power has increased, I admit but the amount of power you're throwing out is still weak!" He thought to himself, 'Gaining power is one thing but learning to control that power is an entirely different story.'

Misao shouted back, "No way! Angel-sama told me that I had enough power to surpass even Hosenkou-sama!"

Alkan thought, 'Who the hell is Angel-sama?' Ayano shouted, "Angel-sama? Who the hell is that pervert anyway?!"

"Pervert? Now that's insulting." A voice said from inside the church. When Michael came out Alkan instantly took in his features and was surprised to see that he looked like a boy in his preteens. This made him suspicious as Misao fell to his feet saying, "Angel-sama!"

Kazuma was silent as he watched and Ayano asked, "You're an angel?" Alkan smirked as he walked up to Kazuma's side and said, "That guy's no angel if he told Misao what to do."

When Michael opened his eyes Alkan's memory kicked in as he remembered Chisato saying, 'What I remember was that I was walking home from school when suddenly a blond-haired boy with green eyes came up to me. We started talking but the things he said were kind of weird. The next thing I knew was that he shoved a green ball at my chest and the next thing I knew I was possessed by Azure.' Alkan thought to himself, 'Is this the guy Chisato met? Then that means…?'

Misao was on her knees and begged, "Angel-sama, please guide me. Tell me the way on how to defeat him!"

As Michael broke it to her that it was impossible Alkan watched with disgust as he told Misao the straight facts. When he said, "Humans are such interesting creatures. If I tell them something they want to believe then they would believe it instantly even if it's impossible." Alkan thought, 'Figured my guess would be correct.'

When Michael said the things he was telling Misao Alkan felt like he wanted to puke. He couldn't believe what this guy was saying, it sounded like some fanatic talking. Alkan was about to summon some wind when Kazuma stopped him. He asked, "What?"

"Let him finish." Kazuma said. As much as Alkan wanted to ignore that request he took a deep breath and let it go. Misao was going frantic and Alkan figured that she was regaining her senses. When Michael pushed her last button she screamed in shock and fainted. Ayano and Ren tried to rescue her but were repelled by a dark aura. Ayano asked, "What the hell is that?!"

Kazuma replied, "It's the life energy that Misao collected. All of it is pouring out of her unconscious body-."

"And that bastard's sucking it up like a leech, right?" Alkan finished.

Kazuma nodded and said, "Was that your plan all along?"

"That's right. Since I needed enough power to defeat both Kazuma Yagami and Alkan Simure Hosenkou, I needed a special medium, like a member of the Kannagi clan." Michael explained.

Both Alkan and Kazuma looked at each other and Kazuma said, "To defeat us?"

Michael nodded and said, "I guess I still haven't introduced myself." He bowed and said, "My name is Michael Harley. To destroy our cursed enemies, Kazuma Yagami and Alkan Simure Hosenkou, in the name of the stars and wisdom, I have collected this power for that purpose."

Alkan instantly felt anger as Kazuma repeated, "In the name of the stars and wisdom?" At that Alkan clenched his fist and it was shaking in pure anger. Michael saw Alkan's look and said, "It seems that Alkan already knows what I'm talking about. If I remember correctly, the two of you have a connection with my great master." He then said, "In the name of the stars and wisdom, I shall pursue only the truth!"

As the memory came back to Kazuma the wind around Alkan erupted as he felt Cui-Ling tremble from inside her crystal. Thankfully he and Kazuma were far apart enough from each other that Kazuma didn't get caught up in Alkan's wind. Not that it mattered anyway since the wind around Kazuma also erupted. He said, "Then I guess we'll send you to hell, where your master is!" Kazuma sent a wind slash at him with Alkan following with his own. Kazuma's was stopped by the aura as well as Alkan's but he combined effort nearly lifted Michael off his feet. He said, "As expected from our enemies, but I told you that the two of you are going to die."

When Michael stepped back Misao's body started to float. Alkan's anger dissipated a bit as he whispered, "The hell is this bastard up to?!"

Then suddenly Misao's body was devoured by the glowing slime and started to grow larger. As it did Ayano and Ren were surprised while Alkan and Kazuma watched as the slime grew larger. Suddenly the slime split in half and they formed two dragons. Alkan spat and said, "Tch, we are in big trouble aren't we?"

The dragon's tails tore apart the church as Michael said, "Aren't they magnificent? I created the dragon Vrtra using Misao as the core, while it's twin Artrv is under my direct control." Michael was talking to them from the top of Artrv's head as he said, "Now, Kazuma Yagami and Alkan Simure Hosenkou, can the two of you defeat the two great dragons Vrtra and Artrv? Oh but Misao might die if you defeat either one though." With that Michael assimilated himself into Artrv.

Ayano asked, "So which one is Misao in?"

"I don't think it matters. We'd probably have to take both of them out at the same time to get her out." Alkan said. The four of them jumped out of the way as the two dragons shot their breaths at where they were standing. As they fell back Alkan said, "You guys come up with a plan while I distract them."

"Wait a minute!" Kazuma shouted but Alkan was already engaging the two dragons. He shook his head and said, "He's being reckless again. But then again, he does think before he acts, unlike a certain someone." They watched him try and use wind slashes to get their attention. Kazuma asked Ayano, "The Kannagi's purifying flame should destroy those dragons without harming Misao right?"

Ayano shouted back, "Sorry to say this but I can't wield the purification flame yet!"

"What?" Kazuma said. Ayano continued, "The only people I know that can do that is my father and Uncle Genma!" They just stood there for a second before Kazuma slumped his shoulders and said, "You're so useless."

"Well sorry about that!" Ayano shouted as they dodged another breath from Vrtra. She shouted, "What about Alkan? Can't he do it?"

"Sorry to burst you're bubble but Alkan's not that skilled with fire. At most he's a bit under your level in skill. He personally admitted that he can't use it." Kazuma told her. The two faced Vrtra and it seems that Alkan has his hands full with Artrv. Normally he would have went all out on it but with the possibility with Misao being in either one of them Alkan was holding back.

When Alkan saw Ayano charge he thought, 'What the heck is that girl doing.' Due to this Artrv nearly got him in the side with one of it's tentacles coming out of it's head. He sliced them off but the started to grow back. Soon he saw Kazuma scoop Ayano out of danger, but he got himself injured in the process. Vrtra tried to go after them but Ren blocked it with his flame. Kazuma said, "Thank you Ren. Can you and Alkan hold them off for a moment?"

"Say what?!" Alkan said as both dragons shot their breaths at them. With Kazuma and Ayano gone for the minute they felt like they were at a severe disadvantage. He called to Ren, "Hey Ren! Could you hold them off for a moment?"

Ren was shocked and asked, "What are you going to do?! I can't hold them off for long!"

"Just give me a minute!" With that Alkan closed his eyes and began to focus. As he did a memory came back to him.

***

_Flashback – 3 years ago_

_Alkan was talking with the black haired woman on the mountain as he took a break from training. He found it interesting that a woman like her was taking a walk around the mountain like this. Alkan was about to as her where she lived when suddenly a youma appeared._

_Both of them stood up with Alkan shielding the woman from the youma. He knew that he didn't have enough power to defeat it so he shouted, "I'll distract it while you get away!"_

_"But what about you?!" The woman shouted._

_"I'll be fine!" Alkan assured her. He thought, 'Yeah right! But all I have to do is distract it enough until the woman escapes.' Alkan focuses on what wind he can summon onto his fists and went charging at the youma, which was the form of a wolf. Alkan manages to keep the youma at bay and he even landed a few hits on it. The youma manages to get past it and to his horror; he saw that the woman was still standing there. _

_Alkan spat in frustration and ran with all his strength and sent a weak wind slash towards it. The slash didn't hurt it but it certainly got it's attention since the youma suddenly turned and pounced onto him. He tried to get it off but his wind was too weak. The youma was about to bite his head off when a very strong gust of wind suddenly came by and sent the youma flying into the air. Then dozens of wind slashes came by and tore the youma to pieces._

_Alkan managed to pick himself up and looked for the source of the wind. His eyes fell on the woman but she looked very different, her hair was a pale green and her eyes were a glowing azure blue. Alkan walked up to her and asked, "Who are you?"_

_The woman replied smiling, "I've been waiting for someone like you. Someone who has the courage to face any obstacle despite the powers they possess."_

_Alkan said, "That's very nice and all but that still doesn't tell me who you are."_

_"I am the Wind Spirit Princess, equal to the Wind Spirit King. I ask you, will you make a contract with me?"_

***

Present time

Alkan had his eyes closed as he prayed, 'Wind Spirit Princess, I call upon you. Please entrust your power over the wind to me.' With that the wind spirits started to gather around him very rapidly. With his eyes still closed he took off his eyepatch and stowed it into his pocket. He walked forward and shouted, "Ren! Get back!"

Ren felt the wind shift and turned to Alkan as he fell back. Alkan held his hand out and in an instant the two dragons were being pinned down by a massive wind barrier. Ren was surprised at color of Alkan's eyes and said, "Alkan, you're a contractor too?!"

"Surprised?" Alkan said with a smug look on his face, "Well, I don't use this power unless I'm backed into a corner." Ren looked excited and asked, "So you have a contract with the Wind Spirit King too?"

"Well, yes and no. I do have a contract but it's not with the Wind Spirit King. I'll tell you all about it later." Alkan was starting to feel strained since the dragons were bashing against the barrier.

Ayano showed up and when she saw the scene she asked, "What's going on?" Then she saw Alkan and his azure eyes. She said, "No way, Alkan, you're a contractor too?!"

"Yes and I'll tell you the details later, I can't hold them for long!" At that moment the barrier vanished and the two dragons fired their breaths at them. As they dodged Alkan asked, "So what's the plan?"

"We stall for five minutes. I think Kazuma's activating his contract." Ayano said as she took out Enraiha. Alkan sighed and said, "Then let's get to work!" With that Ayano and Ren took on Vrtra while Alkan took Artrv. As they fought Alkan thought, 'I hope that Kazuma has a plan, 'cause I have nothing at the moment.' He sliced off all of Artrv's limbs only for them to grow back.

Five minutes later the three of them regrouped together and they felt Kazuma's presence. Ayano smiled and said, "Well that was fast."

Kazuma smirked and said, "I know." When Alkan looked at him Kazuma said, "You too Alkan?"

"Well, what did you expect? You left the two of us to go have some private time with Ayano!" Ayano blushed at that as Alkan turned and said, "So you have any ideas on how to beat these things while getting Misao out of there in one piece? Burn it down?" He went and erected another wind barrier around the four of them.

"I already said that it's impossible to do that!" Ayano said. Kazuma held out his hand and said, "Let me take care of that." The wind surrounded Enraiha turning it into a blue flame. Ayano and Ren were amazed as Alkan said, "That's the Divine Flame Souen right?"

"Uh huh, this should work." Kazuma said. Alkan had an idea from it and he sent a very powerful wind through the barrier, sending the two dragons crashing to the ground. He said to Ren, "Hey Ren, make a flame!"

Ren wasted no time creating a flame in his hand. Alkan concentrated and he also turned the flame blue. Ren was a bit surprised at it and Kazuma joked, "Ha, it's like my old man's flame."

"Okay, are you two ready?" Alkan asked. Kazuma also asked, "Can you do it Ayano?"

"Of course." Ayano replied. Ren also said, "I'm ready Alkan."

Alkan nodded and said, "Okay Kazuma, let's do this!"

"Right!" Kazuma said. The two of them lifted Ayano and Ren into the air and they were sent flying, with Ayano heading for Vrtra and Ren heading for Artrv. The two dragons shot their breaths at them but the two pierced through them and landed on their head. As they took the dragons out with their flames Alkan said, "What I'm about to do later, don't interfere alright?"

Kazuma was a bit curious by what Alkan meant as the two flew up to go catch them. As Kazuma caught Ayano and Alkan grabbed Ren Michael crawled out of the slime saying, "Why…why do the four of you have such power?! I collected the energy of over a thousand humans! This shouldn't be possible!" Then Michael saw the power within Kazuma's and Alkan's eyes and said, "No…the two of you are contractors! Kazuma Yagami, Alkan Hosenkou, you are the ones who made contracts with the Wind Spirit King?!"

As Alkan got rid of the flames surrounding Michael he corrected him saying, "Actually Kazuma's the only one with the contract with the Wind Spirit King. Mine's with the Wind Spirit Princess."

Ren and Ayano were a bit puzzled while Michael said, "No, you found the Wind Spirit Princess?!" That was when he noticed Alkan walking towards him. He said, "Wait, what are you doing?!" In a flash Alkan kicked him onto his back and to Ayano and Ren's horror, they saw him plunge a knife into Michael's stomach.

He screamed in pain as he tried to remove it but Alkan's grip on it was strong and he was twisting it slowly, making him scream even more. As he did that Alkan had an expressionless look on his face as he said, "You know, this won't really satisfy me. But since your master's dead I guess I'll settle for you." As he continued to twist the knife slowly his contract started to fade, revealing his blood red eye. That was when he had a slight look on his face like he was enjoying it. He continued to say, "Considering the pain you put people through, this should be nothing to you." Alkan gave it another slow twist before he pulled the knife out and as he walked away, he used the wind to fan the flame over his body, incinerating him.

As Alkan sighed he saw that Ayano and Ren were giving him odd looks. He sighed again and said, "I'm very sorry that you two had to see that. You see, the organization that demon belonged to did something to me. I don't want to talk about it so would you please not say anything?"

Both of them looked at Kazuma who gave them a nod and they both said, "Yes." Alkan took out his eyepatch and put back over his left eye. Ayano asked, "Why do you wear that? You're eyesight looked fine to me."

Alkan gave her an odd look and asked, "Didn't you see what color my eye was?" When she nodded he asked, "So, didn't it unnerve you or something?"

Ayano had a hard time answering that until Alkan gave her a piercing look and she said in a quiet voice, "Um, a bit."

"So now you know." Alkan said. He looked over his shoulder and said, "I think the fire's died down. Why don't you go see-." But when he turned they saw Kazuma already heading over to where Misao was. Alkan commented, "Wow, that Kazuma sure works fast doesn't he?"

Ayano couldn't help but feel annoyed at the comment. She really blew up when Kazuma went on about Misao owing him with her body for all the trouble she put him through. As they watched Ayano chase after Kazuma Alkan approached Misao. She noticed his approach and she said, "Hosenkou-sama, I'm so sorry for all the times I've been rude to you."

"Ah, don't worry about it. You were hurting and weren't thinking straight. So there's no problem." When he saw the depressed look on her face he said, "You know, honoring their memory is one way to atone."

"Eh?" Misao said, looking up at him. He continued, "I can't give you much advice on how to atone, since I'm too much of a simpleton but all I can say is to pray for them." He looked at her and he sighed at the sight. He took of his own coat and said, "Here, wrap this around your waist before Kazuma gets any weird ideas."

She took the coat and said, "Okay Hosenkou-sama."

***

A week later Kazuma, Ayano, and Ren visited a convent located in the northern mountains of Japan. They visited Misao and Kazuma wasn't very happy with Jugo's decision to send Misao to a convent. They talked and Misao found out that Kazuma never gave up on her because of what happened when they were kids. When they were about to leave Kazuma remembered something and he took out a letter from his coat pocket and handed it to Misao.

"What's this?" Misao asked as she received the letter.

"It's from Alkan. For some reason he couldn't come with us so he wanted to give you that instead." Kazuma told them.

"I see…" Misao said. After saying goodbye Misao headed back inside the convent. In her room she opened the letter from Alkan. It said:

_Dear Misao,_

_I hope that you're doing fine. I was a bit surprised to find out that you were sent to a convent. I also heard that Kazuma wasn't very happy with the decision, but considering his reasons, it shouldn't matter._

_Anyway, I'm writing this since you obviously don't have access to a phone (not sure about this though), not to mention that I'm kind of busy and I can't visit with Kazuma and the others. What I want to say is an addition of what I told you a week ago. I said that you should pray for those that 'died', right? Well, something else I forgot to mention is that in addition to praying for them you should go out and help people. Giving back to the world is also one way to atone you know, there are people that do it._

_I don't know what they do in a convent since I've never visited one before, but if they do let you go into town or something, then go around and help people. It's impossible to forget the burden of sin but it is possible to ease the load. _

_I know I sound a bit high and mighty there but I too have killed people. Some I've even enjoyed doing since I was still in pain in the past, although some of them were actually demons. I won't go into details but I haven't forgotten that I killed them. When we try to repent it shows that we're really human._

_Well, I won't try to tell you what to do; all I'm giving you is advice. I'm sure Kazuma would agree with me that leaving a girl hurt and crying is against the law or something. So I hope that you stay well at the convent, and I hope to see you again someday._

_Alkan Hosenkou,_

_P.S. You should really forget about that nonsense about you owing Kazuma, from what I've heard it seems that he owed you and he already paid for it._

Misao smiled at the letter and said, "Thank you very much Alkan-sama." She continued to look out the window looking at the falling snow.

Back in Tokyo Alkan was busy helping Kirika with her paperwork. Somehow she saw what happened a week ago and blackmailed him into helping her with her paperwork. He thought, 'Ugh, I better be careful from now on. Oh this hurts so badly!'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Sorry if a certain scene seemed gruesome, it's due to his past and that will be explained in time. Oh and thanks to Micha-Guest for answering my question, it's been a while since I saw the anime that I forgot most of the details.


	5. Knowing Alkan

Chapter 5 – Knowing Alkan

It's been a few days since Kazuma and the others visited Misao. Kirika finally released Alkan from the paperwork he'd been doing for the last three days. He felt tired and strained as Kirika said, "You know Alkan, the next time you do something like that try to keep it from prying eyes. Even if that boy was actually a demon it didn't look like you were killing a demon. Consider yourself lucky that no one else saw what I saw."

"Ugh, I know, I know." Alkan said. One of the things he hated most was paperwork. He admits that it's necessary at times but too much of it can be a total pain. He headed back to his house, noticing how it's a bit hotter than usual.

Back at home he felt the immediate comfort of the cool air in his apartment, due to the wind spirits. He sighed and took off his coat, throwing it on a nearby chair. Alkan sat down on the couch as he turned on his CD player. The song was playing The End of 1000 Years in a loop. Alkan laid back and started to relax.

Suddenly Cui-Ling's voice called out to him in his mind, 'Alkan?'

'Huh? Oh Cui-Ling, what is it?' Alkan thought.

It was silent for a moment before she asked, 'Did you really have to do that to the boy?'

Alkan knew what she was talking about and thought, 'No, since the flames would have devoured him anyway. He was a demon that caused a whole lot of trouble.' Then Cui-Ling asked, 'Would you have done it if he was a human?'

At that Alkan looked up and thought bitterly, 'Yes I would have. You know that he's from the same organization as that man, heck, he's the servant of the one that 'sacrificed' you! Ha, if it weren't for your presence, I would have probably went on a rampage like Kazuma did the moment I got my full powers back.'

'I still remember the fight between you and Kazuma back then. The look he had on his face scared me.' Cui-Ling told him.

'Well, they didn't call him the Wind Demon for nothing you know. Because of that, I was called into Europe just to stop him from going too far.' Alkan thought.

With that Cui-Ling fell silent. Ten minutes later, after just sitting there doing nothing Alkan got up and said to himself, "Well, might as well do something." He turned off his CD player and he moved a few things around that there was a space in front of his flat screen TV. He set the area up to play DDR with his PS3 and turned everything on.

A few minutes later the doorbell rang, but he didn't hear it since the volume was up a bit and he was stepping to the song Anna ni Issho Datta no ni. Outside Ayano and Ren were waiting for him to answer the door. Ayano asked, "Are you sure Alkan's home Ren?"

"I think so Nee-sama." Ren replied, "He's supposed to be done with the work Kirika-san gave him." That was when Ren slipped his hand into his pocket and took out a key. He slid it into the keyhole as Ayano asked in a panic, "What the heck are you doing Ren?"

"Don't worry, Alkan-san gave me a spare key a week ago. He said he needed someone to hold onto his spare key for some reason." Ren explained as he unlocked the door. He slowly opened it and the both of them went in. The moment the door closed behind them the soundproofing wore off on them and they had to cover their ears due to the sudden music.

The song ended and Alkan paused the game. He turned around and said, "Oh Ren, Ayano, sorry about that, I was in the middle of something."

"We could see that." Ayano said as she pointed to the DDR mat. Alkan sighed and said, "I guess I should get some tea ready. This might take a while."

When Alkan brewed up some tea he gave two cups of it to Ayano and Ren. He got himself an ice tea bottle from his fridge. Alkan sat down muttering, "I prefer this stuff." When he looked at them he said, "Okay, before you ask away I'm just going to say, there are a few things I won't talk about, mainly parts of my past. Other than that ask away."

The two looked at each other and Ren went first, "Okay Alkan-san, first thing: where did you get your wind contractor powers from? I heard that you said that they weren't from the Wind Spirit King like nii-sama's, and I heard you mention something about a princess?"

"Oh that, I figured that would be the first thing you would ask." Alkan said with a smug look, "Very well, but first let me ask you this. Have you ever heard of the Legend of the Four Spirit Princesses?"

They both looked at each other and Ayano answered, "I heard about that legend. They say that there are four other great spirits other than the Spirit Kings, and that they are equal in power to the Spirit Kings in each of their respective elements. They also have the power to make contracts with humans and appear before them as beautiful women. That's why they were referred as the Four Spirit Princesses. Wait, don't tell me-!"

"It's just as you think. I met the Wind Spirit Princess while training my wind powers. I think it was about three years ago that I met her. You see, I heard about a mountain in Japan that had an unusually high amount of wind spirits so I went there to train. Long story short, we met while she was under disguise, a few things happened, then see reveals herself and asks if I want to make a contract with her." Alkan left a few details out but he felt that it was for the best, after all if he told the whole story it would lead to other things he won't talk about, especially since it involves Kazuma.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Ren said with interest. Then he asked, "So those azure eyes and lock of green hair is her mark on you?"

Alkan smirked and said, "You saw that huh? Yeah it is, the hair is to differentiate from her contract and the Wind Spirit King's."

With that answered Ayano asked, "So what was with you when you stabbed that pervert? What happened between the two of you?"

At that question Alkan went quiet for a bit. Then he cleared his throat and said, "That's something I'd rather not go into details about. What I can say is that the organization that demon belonged to did a number of things to me, and that was my way of paying them back. Sorry that I can't say anymore, maybe in time I'll tell you."

Ayano and Ren looked at each other and knew that the subject was closed. Ayano moved on to another subject, "You know, you and Kazuma are totally different. Just how did the two of you meet?"

Ren looked very curious too and Alkan laughed saying, "I tend to get that sometimes. Hmm, I guess I can tell you. You see, it was over four years ago…"

***

_Flashback, 5 years ago_

_A 16 year old Alkan was going through the streets of Kyoto. He had just finished a job where he had to get rid of a weak youma from a residence. The pay was small but he took it anyway. The savings left by his family were still large but he didn't want to rely on them since he knew it didn't last. Despite being what people called an Elementalist his skill with each of them was only average. He got tired of other mages thinking that all Elementalists were these super powerful people who had awesome powers from the moment of their birth. If he was only able to wield one element he would be considered ordinary or even weak by other mages. The ability to wield all four was the only edge he got but if a master were to come along, he would be steamrolled instantly._

_He was busy walking through the streets thinking about what Cui-Ling said. Alkan met the girl a year ago when he was busy wandering the world. After getting to know her she pestered him about staying and helping her with the restaurant she was managing. Alkan managed to get her off his back when he said that he'll find someone and bring him or her to Cui-Ling. _

_Alkan sighed and as he was about to make a turn, he bumped into someone, sending both of them falling to the ground. He got up and went over to the person that bumped into him. Alkan held out his hand and asked, "Are you alright?"_

_"Uh yeah…" The person, who Alkan saw was a boy, took his hand and got up. Alkan took in his features and saw that he had brown hair and orange-red eyes. Alkan said, "Sorry about that."_

_"No, it's my fault." The boy said. Then he asked, "Um, I'm sorry to ask but, do you know someone named Alkan Simure Hosenkou?"_

_'This guy's looking for me?' Alkan thought. He asked, "Uh, why do you ask?"_

_"Um, it's kind of a secret?" The boy said. Alkan was curious and he focused on his wind power. He noticed something in the boy and he asked in a whisper, "Hey, you don't happen to be some sort of mage, are you?"_

_The boy freaked out and said, "How do you know?! Are you a Fuujutsushi?!"_

_Alkan smiled and said, "In a matter of speaking." He wasn't lying, just not saying everything, "I also happen to know Alkan Hosenkou too." The boy looked at him with a weird look and Alkan said, "Hey, do I look like I'm lying?" That's when the boy's stomach rumbled, and Alkan said, "Why don't we have lunch first?"_

_"Uh sure." The boy said. When they had lunch, some ramen Alkan asked, "So, what's your name?"_

_"Um, I'm Kazuma Kannagi, though I don't carry the Kannagi name anymore." Kazuma said. Alkan looked at him and said, "I see. Well, you can call me Ash. It's what I go by these days." Alkan was lying of course but he wanted to know what Kazuma wanted from him. As they ate Alkan asked, "So Kazuma-san, why are you seeking out Alkan?"_

_Kazuma put down his chopsticks and looked down. He said in a low voice, "To gain power…"_

_Alkan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why? Excuse me but there has to be a reason for it right? But if you don't want to tell me than that's fine."_

_Again Kazuma went quiet for a minute. Then he said, "My family disowned me because I was weak. They're a renowned family of Enjutsushis and I was born unable to wield fire." Kazuma looked angry as he said, "I was kicked out of the family because I had no power. I need power, so that I can show the Kannagi what it means to be weak."_

_Alkan sighed and thought, 'Hmm, so there's another one huh? But, his situation sound interesting. I heard about the Kannagis and I know their motto is around the lines of 'power is everything'. Ha, I guess I'll see what I can do with him.'_

_With that Alkan finished his bowl. He said, "Okay, I'll take you to Alkan. Finish up, we're heading out." Kazuma hastily finished his ramen and the two left the restaurant. As they walked down the street Alkan asked, "So, even if you do teach the Kannagi a lesson what will you do after that?"_

_Kazuma thought about it then said, "Honestly, I have no idea."_

_'Oh god, does this guy have a one track mind or something?' Alkan thought to himself. He led Kazuma to an open clearing in a forest and he asked, "Hey, this is the middle of nowhere! Alkan can't be here?!"_

_Alkan sighed and walked forward to face him. He had an expressionless face and Kazuma was starting to freak out. Suddenly a wind slash flew forward and missed Kazuma on purpose. Then Alkan sent a blob of water flying at him which turned into an ice block. Kazuma got out of the way of that one since it was coming for him a bit slowly. After that the ground he was standing on sprung up a bit making Kazuma trip. After that Alkan caused Kazuma's left hand to catch fire. Kazuma was howling in pain from the fire and Alkan sighed. He knew it was cruel of him to do this but he wanted to see what would happen. Alkan lifted the fire and to his surprise, his hand seemed fine, just a bit singed._

_Kazuma got up and yelled, "What the heck was that?!" Then he suddenly realized what just happened and stammered, "W-wait a m-minute?! You-u are-?"_

_Alkan just smiled and said, "I'm very sorry about that, I wanted to see how you reacted. I do tend to get a lot of people coming after me for my powers. Wait, I haven't properly introduced myself since Ash is only my initials. I'm Alkan Simure Hosenkou. It's nice to meet you Kazuma."_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Present Time

Ayano was laughing a bit at the story. He left out the details about Cui-Ling but he told them everything else. Ren said, "That was mean of you Alkan-san."

"Sorry, but back then there were people who were coming after me for my power, and some of them were asking me to train them like Kazuma did, even when they didn't need it. Honestly I was starting to get pissed off seeing that everyone that approached me thought I was some sort of powerful person. Back then my abilities with each of the elements were less than average. Wielding all four was the only edge I had but if an experienced master came along and challenged me, I would have been beaten pretty badly." Alkan explained to them.

Ayano had stopped laughing as she finished her tea. That was when Alkan said, "Well, that's all I'm gonna say. There's more to it but I think I'll tell you guys some other time." Alkan thought, 'Especially since it involves some sensitive things about Kazuma that I don't think that he wants anyone to know now.'

The two were a bit disappointed that they weren't going to hear more about how Kazuma and Alkan met. Since Kazuma didn't say much about himself they found this story quite interesting. That was when the doorbell rang and Alkan said, "Oh, I better go get that."

Alkan got up and went to answer the door, when it opened he found Chisato waiting outside in her uniform. She was sweating a bit as she said, "Hi Alkan, I came over 'cause I wanted to tell you something."

"Oh, okay, come in. But I have guests over just so you know." Alkan told her. At that Chisato looked forward and saw Ayano and Ren sitting at the table. Chisato was a bit surprised and said, "Oh, Kannagi-san. I didn't know that you're here."

"Morigami-san." Ayano greeted. Ren asked, "Do you know her nee-san?"

"She's a classmate from school." Ayano answered. Chisato took the seat opposite of Ayano as she asked, "Oh, who's this cutie?"

Ren blushed as he introduced himself, "Uh, I'm Ren Kannagi, it's nice to meet you."

Chisato asked Ayano, "Your little brother?"

"My cousin." Ayano corrected her. Alkan turned to Chisato and asked, "So, what brings you around Chisato?"

"Oh yes, it's about what I talked about with you about a week ago, about Seiryo Academy. I kind of made a mistake; it's really a co-ed school. I was thinking about the last school I attended, which was an all girls academy." Chisato explained.

Alkan turned to Ayano and asked, "Is that true Ayano?"

"Yeah, Seiryo's a co-ed school, though I wouldn't mind if it became an all girls academy. It would get rid of half my troubles." Ayano replied.

Alkan looked between her and Chisato and Chisato explained, "She has a lot of admirers, both guys and girls."

"Oh I see now. Wonder what Kazuma would say about that." Alkan smirked. Ayano gave him a fiery glare and said, "Don't ever tell him about it!"

Alkan waved at her and said, "I wasn't going to, so cool the fire Ayano!"

Ayano calmed down as Chisato looked around and asked, "Hey, why does this place feel so cool. Last time I checked, this place didn't have an air conditioner, and that was before you moved in."

"It's because the air here stays cool due to the wind spirits, it also soundproofs the apartment too." Alkan explained.

"Well, it explains why I never hear a thing from next door." Chisato said.

Ayano raised an eyebrow and said, "You live next door Morigami-san?"

"Yes I do." Chisato replied, "You know, you can call me Chisato if you want, it's not like we're strangers or anything."

"Well I guess you can call me Ayano then." Ayano said. Chisato said jokingly, "So I can call you Ayano-hime?"

"No way." Ayano replied flatly. Chisato smirked and said, "I was just kidding Ayano-san." She noticed the DDR pad on the ground and said, "Wow! Is that Dance Dance Revolution?! I didn't know that you had that! Can I use it?"

"Go right ahead." Alkan said. He watched as Chisato, Ayano, and even Ren took turns playing it. An hour later, they all were at the door and Ayano said, "Sorry that I have to go, I have a curfew that my father is very strict over. We'll see you later Alkan."

"Bye Alkan-san." Ren said as the two of them left. Chisato said, "Well, I better get going; I'm having dinner with my parents later tonight. See ya Alkan." With that she left and Alkan closed the door. He thought, 'Whew, I forgot how exhausting it can be to entertain guest sometimes.'

As he went over and cleaned up the DDR set he thought, 'Hmm, it's been a while since I lived in a house or apartment. Back then I traveled around a lot, due to circumstances.'

When everything was put away he turned the TV back on and flipped it onto the news. The reporter on set was saying, "There was a freak heat wave going on in the city, and expect it to last a few days."

'A freak heat wave?' Alkan thought. That was when his cell phone rang and he answered it, "Hello, Hosenkou here."

"Hey it's me Alkan." Lan's voice replied on the other end. Alkan sighed and asked, "What's the matter Lan?"

"Nothing much, I'm just here to tell you that a out of control fire spirit has been running loose around the area you're in." Lan replied.

"Let me guess, I should suppress it?" Alkan said.

"That's about it. The Kannagi can't do anything about it since it is a fire spirit after all, and you're the only Suijutsushi around the city." Lan explained. Alkan asked, "Am I getting paid for this by any chance?"

"Uh, yeah, you are. It's not much, but it's a good amount from the city." Lan said to him. Alkan raised his eyebrows and asked, "The city's paying for it?"

Lan replied, "Well, one of the officials that actually knows what's going on is." Alkan sighed and said, "I'll get on it. Tell the person that the issue will be resolved by tomorrow night."

"Alrighty Alkan, I'll talk to you later." With that Lan hung up. As Alkan turned off his phone he thought, 'I wonder if Kazuma's going to do anything about it. Eh, probably not. The spirit is a natural one so he probably won't notice anything at first. Even the people think that this is some kind of freak heat wave. I shouldn't worry.'

After that he had dinner while listening to his iPod. After that he looked at a map of Tokyo and wondered where the spirit would most likely be. After looking at the map for about fifteen minutes he gave up, thinking that it would be better to just look around the city himself.

Alkan sat down on the couch as his iPod was still going on it's speaker stand. He drew the crystal pendant and held it up, looking at it. That was when Cui-Ling's voice came to him saying, 'You know, you shouldn't stare at a girl like that.'

'I wasn't staring at you, you know.' Alkan thought.

'I know, I was just teasing you.' Cui-Ling said teasingly.

Alkan just sighed and thought, 'One day, I'll get you back into a real body, no matter how long it takes.'

'I know Alkan, I know.' Cui-Ling said as Alkan felt her voice fade again.

With that, Alkan got up and he went to the room with all his games and started playing again. When he was done with that he took a shower before he went to sleep. His last thought was, 'Well, better rest up for tomorrow. I have a feeling it's gonna be tough.'


	6. Contact With Fire

Chapter 6 – Contact with Fire

The next day Alkan was out in the city in a loose white T-shirt and jeans. The heat had gotten worse and it felt like a hot day during the peak of summer. It was only thanks to the gentle breeze he surrounded himself with that he wasn't sweating buckets. Alkan walked around the city, trying to find the place where the heat was stronger.

After walking around the city for the whole morning he went into a restaurant for lunch. Even with the wind keeping him cool he felt tired. He knew that being out there in the heat made him feel like it was draining his energy but he had a job to do. So he ordered lunch and sat down to eat.

As he was eating he saw Ren and two other people, a boy and girl, walk into the restaurant. From what Alkan could see, the three of them were wearing school uniforms and from the way they acted, the three were friends but the two with Ren seemed to be at odds with each other.

Alkan sighed as he went back to eating. He was in thought when Ren spotted him and said, "Oh, Alkan-san!"

"Ren, this is a surprise…" Alkan said as he finished eating. Ren and his two friends sat down on the opposite side of the table with their food, with Ren in the middle. Alkan said, "Who are your two friends?"

The boy and girl on either side of Ren were a bit nervous since they were in front of a stranger that was an adult. They were surprised to see that Ren knew someone like him. Alkan was a bit puzzled by the way they were acting as Ren said, "Um, these are my friends, Kannon Suzuhara," The girl waved her hand, "and Tatsuya Serizawa." The boy waved his hand too.

Kannon smirked and said, "Did you hear that? Ren-kun introduced me first! That means I'm his favorite!"

Tatsuya snapped back, "No way, he saved the best for last!"

The two argued with Ren feeling squished in between them. Alkan was a bit amused at their antics but noticed that the other patrons were starting to get annoyed. Alkan cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me, Suzuhara-san, Serizawa-san. I think that you're making a scene here." At that the two looked around and saw that the others were looking at them. They calmed down and whispered apologies.

Ren was surprised to see that they were quiet again, but figured that they were acting polite now because of Alkan. Ren asked, "So what are you doing around here Alkan-san."

"Just taking a break. You see I'm busy trying to deal with this freak heat wave, if you know what I mean." Alkan said with a smile.

It took a moment for Ren to figure out what Alkan was talking about until he remembered the talk he and Ayano had with Jugo. They had the talk last night and let's just say that it was quite interesting for Ren.

***

_Flashback_

_"An out of control fire spirit?" Ayano asked, looking confused._

_"That's right. I'm sure you've felt the abnormal heat when you coming and going from Alkan's apartment." Jugo replied, "It's due to a fire spirit that had gotten loose from Kyoto and is currently hiding here around Tokyo somewhere. Unfortunately we can't do anything about it since it isn't a youma, our powers would have no effect on it."_

_"Is nii-san going to take care of it then?" Ren asked._

_"From what I heard, Kazuma isn't going to take care of this case." Jugo answered, "He said that it was better for Alkan to take care of this case. Kazuma also said he's going to wait out the heat wave in his hotel room until it's taken care of."_

_"Tch, typical Kazuma." Ayano spat out. Ren looked at Ayano with a sigh before asking, "So the Kannagi are going to leave it to Alkan-san?"_

_"In a matter of speaking." Jugo said. He looked at Ayano and said, "You don't seem to be bothered by this Ayano, is something wrong?"_

_"No Father, I'm alright. I'm sure Alkan can handle this job, he is an Elementalist after all." Ayano said with confidence._

_'Hmm, this may prove to be either good or bad in the long run. I'll have to talk to Alkan about this later.' Jugo thought. Then he said, "Well then, I guess that it for now. You may go now Ayano, I need to talk to Ren about something."_

_Ayano looked curious but she got up and said, "I understand Father." When Ayano left Ren asked, "Is there something wrong Uncle?"_

_Jugo shook his head and said, "No, nothing's wrong, it's just that, if you happen to run into Alkan tomorrow please help him with the case."_

_Ren was quite surprised at this request and before he could say anything Jugo said, "I know I said that we won't do anything in this case. But I still want someone in the family to be involved, and I think Alkan can tolerate you helping him."_

_All Ren could do was wonder if that was really true. After that he was dismissed and wondered if he was going to actually run into Alkan tomorrow, since he had school to attend._

***

Present time

Ren was wondering how to convince Alkan to let him join when he finished his meal and said, "Well, it was nice meeting the two of you. Ren, I'll see you later." He got up, threw away what was needed, and left the restaurant. Ren panicked a bit and he got up and left the table saying, "Sorry you two, but I have something urgent I need to do!" With that he left the restaurant.

Kannon and Tatsuya were surprised at Ren's sudden departure. They were quiet when Kannon said, "Tehe, Ren-kun touched me."

"That's because he had to get past you, idiot." Tatsuya argued. Then the argument between them started again. Meanwhile Ren was outside looking for where Alkan had left. Ren spotted him not far from the restaurant and he ran after him shouting, "Alkan-san!"

Alkan heard the shout and turned around to see Ren running after him. Ren caught up to him working up a sweat a bit and said, "Please, let me come with you on this case."

This got Alkan thinking, for a while they were standing there in the heat and the both were starting to sweat a bit. Then Alkan said, "Well, I guess it's okay with me. But what about school Ren?"

"Uh, I'll deal with that later, and I'm sure Suzuhara-san and Serizawa-san will cover for me." Ren replied. Alkan sighed and said, "Well, let's get going Ren, I said that this issue would be resolved today, didn't I?"

Ren nodded and said, "Yes!" and followed him. For the better part of the day the two went around the city trying to find the fire spirit, occasionally going into a building to cool off. It was around four when the two had gone around the city. They were tired and were resting in a shopping mall that had air conditioning. Alkan was catching his breath for some reason as he said, "Well, at least now we're sure that it isn't in the city."

Ren was trying to relax as he asked, "What exactly are we looking for Alkan-san?"

"We're looking for a mid- or high-level fire spirit Ren." Alkan replied, "Let's hope that it's a mid-level spirit. I've met high-level ones a few times and let me say, they weren't the best of experiences." Then he suddenly remembered a mid-level spirit that had very peculiar properties. Alkan said, "Let's head outside for a bit Ren."

"Eh? Why?" Ren asked, as he was dragged by Alkan to the mall entrance.

"Be a man Ren, I don't like the heat either but it will go away once this job is done." Alkan replied as they walked outside. After walking a bit he looked around to make sure that no one was around. Ren was wondering what he was doing when Alkan suddenly grabbed him and they both flew into the air as they turned invisible. Ren was surprised to the point where he couldn't say anything as Alkan flew them to the top of a very high building. When they landed they became visible with Alkan letting go of Ren. He nearly fell down as Ren asked, "Ah, what are you doing Alkan-san?!"

Alkan didn't say anything as he closed his eyes and tried to feel the elements around him. After a minute he opened his eyes and asked, "Hey Ren, could you make a fireball?"

"You mean like this?" Ren asked as he made a fireball appear at the palm of his hand. Alkan nodded and said, "A bit bigger."

Ren did as he was told and made the ball a bit bigger. Alkan said, "Okay, that's it. Let's see what happens, if I'm right something should happen soon."

As Ren kept the fireball stable he didn't have a clue what Alkan was talking about. A moment passed and suddenly the fireball left his hand and slowly flew off. Ren was about to go catch it when Alkan stopped him saying, "Wait, let's see where it goes first." Again he grabbed Ren without warning and took off into the sky. They followed the fireball to a remote clearing on the outskirts of the city.

The two landed and took a look at their surroundings. The trees closest to them seemed to have been scorched and looked lifeless. The grass in the clearing was all dry too. Alkan whispered, "Shoot I knew it."

"What was that?" Ren asked, hearing what Alkan said. Alkan told him, "Stand behind me Ren, if what I'm thinking is right, then things will get ugly."

Ren didn't question Alkan this time as he got behind Alkan. As he did Alkan gathered a water orb and he threw it into the middle of the clearing. The orb burst and the water rained down onto the ground. To Alkan and Ren's surprise, the ground looked like it was sizzling from the water's touch. Suddenly the fire spirits started to gather at the center at an alarming rate, forming a bird that looked like it was on fire. The air around them instantly cooled to regular temperatures as Alkan said, "Damn, just our luck."

"What is that Alkan-san?!" Ren shouted.

"A Firebird, it's one of the more powerful of the mid-level spirits. Should've known, considering the circumstances." The Firebird spat a fireball out at them causing the two to dodge, "A Firebird conceals it's presence by spreading itself out over a large area, that's the reason for the heat wave. But these things like to devour fire, so any fire conjured or created would go straight to it's core."

"Okay, so how do we beat it?" Ren asked as the Firebird continued to shoot fireballs from it's beak. Alkan replied, "I think an extremely powerful water spell might do it, but it looks like this Firebird's stronger than normal ones. Must have to do with Kyoto…"

Alkan summoned the strongest water spell he had and sent it crashing at the Firebird. Ren got out of the way as the spell made contact, making a loud hissing sound and causing steam to appear.

When the steam cleared they saw that the Firebird was still there and looking very angry. It tried to fly but the attack had clipped it's wings grounding it. This made it even angrier as more fireballs were shot towards the two. Alkan and Ren got out of the way as Ren asked, "Is there anything else you can do Alkan-san?!"

'I need to finish it in one shot, or else it can regenerate itself. It's the only way to scatter the spirit.' Alkan thought. Already some of the wounds the Firebird got from the water strike started to heal. Alkan shouted, "Ren, could you keep it company for a moment?!"

Ren dodged another fireball and he was starting to look scorched. He wondered what Alkan was going to do but didn't question it, all he said was, "Okay Alkan-san, I'll try to keep it occupied." With that Ren summoned a fireball which got the Firebird's attention. Alkan retreated back a bit as he thought, 'Sorry about this Ren, but I do need time for this.'

Alkan closed his eyes and concentrated on the water spirits. He thought, 'Water Spirit Princess, I call upon you. Please, entrust your power over water to me.' A moment later he felt the power of the Water Spirit Princess flow through him. He opened his eyes and they turned dark navy blue, with a matching lock of hair. Alkan took a deep breath and said, "Time to end this."

Ren, in the short time he was distracting it, had his clothes singed by the attacks of the Firebird. Reluctantly he hand to force the fireball he conjured away from him and watched as the Firebird devoured it, healing the injuries it had. Ren knew he was in trouble until he felt a chill coming from a certain direction. When he looked Ren saw Alkan walked forward, noticing the glowing navy eyes and the lock of hair. Ren thought, 'Alkan-san's wind contract? No, this one's different. Wait, it can't be…!'

Alkan raised his hand as the bird was about to take off. Alkan focused his power and shouted, "Drown by the power of the Water Spirit Princess!"

At that instant torrents of water erupted from the ground and made it's way to the Firebird. It didn't have time to react as the water blasts it the Firebird from multiple directions. It screeched in pain as the water soon enveloped the Firebird. Alkan maintained his focus as Ren watched in amazement at what was happening. The blob containing the Firebird rose as it struggled to free itself to no avail. Alkan closed his eyes and whispered, "Dissipate back into nature!" He closed his hand and the Firebird dissipated, the Fire spirits scattering in different directions. The water vanished with it looking like it had evaporated along with it.

Alkan collapsed onto the ground and was panting, he felt really tired after that last attack. Ren ran to were Alkan was shouting, "Are you alright Alkan-san?!"

When Ren was right in front of him Alkan looked at him with his navy eyes and replied, "I'm fine Ren, but you don't mind if you help me up, would you?"

Alkan held out his hand and Ren grabbed it, helping him up. As he got up the contract faded from his eyes and hair. Now back to normal, Alkan was leaning on Ren for support, summoning all that power all at once was something that literally knocked the wind out of him. As they walked away from the clearing Ren asked, "What was that back there Alkan-san? It looked like your wind contract but it seemed different."

A sigh came out of Alkan as he replied, "I'll let you in on something even Kazuma doesn't know, I think. That power I had just used came from the contract between me and the Water Spirit Princess."

"You made a contract with another Spirit Princess?!" Ren shouted, looking shocked.

"Believe me; it wasn't supposed to be that way. It started out like this…"

***

_Flashback – secluded area in Hawaii_

_Alkan was again busy training to regain his abilities, this time in Suijutsu. From what he heard from the Wind Spirit Princess, there was a high amount of water spirits somewhere around a secluded place in Hawaii. Why the Wind Spirit Princess knew he had no clue, but he followed her instructions anyway. It's not like she had anything to gain by lying to him anyway._

_Now he was on the beach trying to regain his water abilities. Nearby was a small village of Suijutsushi that seemed to worship the Water Spirit Princess, from the looks of it. He ignored them as he made his way to the beach where he felt the presence of the water spirits, thanks to his wind abilities._

_Another two months had passed by and again, he still hadn't made any progress. Although, during the time he spent training, he noticed that one of the village girls was spying on him from time to time. Alkan didn't pay any attention to it as he assumed that the girl was just curious to what he was doing._

_One day he sat down on the beach, exhausted from the training that he did. After two months, all he could do was gather a small orb of water and freeze it into a ball. 'At least it's better than my progress with the wind.' Alkan thought to himself. _

_As he ate a banana he felt a presence watching him. Alkan called out, "You know, it's not nice to spy on people!"_

_The girl came out of the bushes and said, "Aww, you caught me."_

_Alkan smirked and said, "I knew that you've been spying on me from time to time ever since I got here, you know."_

_The girl was quite surprised at that as she walked up to Alkan. He turned around and took in her looks. The girl had long shoulder length black hair, an obvious tan, but what surprised Alkan were the girl's eyes, for a second he thought that they were navy blue until he blinked, then he saw that the girl's eyes were actually brown. She was wearing a white t-shirt with blue jean shorts. The girl sat down beside him and she said, "You know, from what I saw you were training you're Suijutsu abilities. I wonder, why are you training so hard?"_

_ Alkan gave the girl an odd look but replied, "To be honest, I'm not sure. It started out as regaining power that I lost a while ago, in order to accomplish a certain task," Alkan started to wonder why he was telling this girl who he just met all this, "But now, I'm starting to wonder, maybe I'm doing this because I felt like a part of me vanished."_

_"Really…? So you feel empty inside?" The girl asked._

_"Not really, it's more like a friend that I had around me all my life just left me all of a sudden, and I want that friend back no matter what, I guess. I'm not too sure myself." Alkan admitted._

_"Hmm…" The girl got up and said, "Well, I'll see you later then." The girl left leaving Alkan by himself. He thought, 'What was that all about?'_

_The next day Alkan continued training, but he hadn't gotten very far. The amount of water that he could wield only increased slightly. Near the end of the day he was exhausted again. On the beach he thought to himself, 'At this rate it's going to take me years to reach the level I was before, and I really don't have that much time on me.'_

_Again the girl came by saying, "Hello again," This time she had what looked like a bunch of rice balls on a leaf. She said, "Here, I brought you something from the village. I hope you like it."_

_"Thanks," Alkan said as he took the rice ball bundle from the girl. As Alkan sat down and ate the girl said, "Come by the Water Spirit Princess shrine at the center of the island tomorrow. I think you might find something interesting there."_

_"What?" Alkan turned to look at the girl but she somehow mysteriously vanished. Alkan thought, 'Something fishy is going on here.'_

_The next day Alkan made his way to the Water Spirit Princess shrine that was in the middle of the secluded island, which was not very far from the village. When he got there Alkan found the girl waiting in front of the shine. He asked, "Okay, I'm here. What's going on?"_

_The girl smiled and said, "You see this fountain?" She walked over to a nearby stone fountain that looked like a clam and was filled with water. She continued, "There's a pearl at the bottom of this fountain that I accidentally dropped. Could you get it for me?"_

_Alkan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why? Not to be rude or anything, but couldn't you do it?"_

_The girl shook her head and said, "My arms aren't long enough to reach the bottom." Alkan walked over and took a look inside. The fountain was deep that even he might even have to stand on his toes to get it, and he was taller than the girl. Alkan nodded and said, "Fine, I'll get it."_

_Alkan stuck his hand into the fountain and tried to reach for the pearl. It was deeper than he thought so he had to crawl halfway into the fountain to reach it. Alkan managed to find it and he pulled it out, along with a skeleton hand! Alkan freaked out as he threw the pearl at the girl who caught it, with the hand falling to the ground. The girl had a surprised look on her face as she held the pearl in her hand. He shouted, "What the heck was that?!"_

_The girl looked at the pearl and then back at the fountain, ignoring Alkan. He was about to say something when Alkan saw her smile and whisper, "Now this is interesting!"_

_Alkan was about to say something when there was a flash of light that blinded him. When the light died down he looked to see the girl looking completely different. Her hair and eyes were navy blue with her eyes giving off a certain glow. Her skin was no longer tanned but more along the lines of her skin being pale. She was also wearing a blue robe that went down to her feet. Alkan was quite surprised at the sudden change as the girl said, "I'm the Water Spirit Princess, and I have been waiting for someone like you. Would you please make a contract with me?"_

***

Present time

"So what happened next?" Ren asked as he continued to help Alkan walk.

"After sealing the contract I asked her what the deal was with the fountain, and you know what her answer was?" Alkan asked, with Ren looking at him in anticipation, "The fountain has a habit of devouring people that it thinks is unworthy to make a contract with the Water Spirit Princess!" Ren was shocked as Alkan continued, "Boy I was sure lucky, I could have died if the fountain found me to be 'unworthy'. From the look on the princess' face she was expecting me to be eaten or something!"

Ren could tell Alkan was still angry over that incident and decided to stop talking about it. He understood, since anyone would be angry that they almost died because of a whim. For some reason Ren thought that Alkan was unable to carry a grudge from his first impression of him but after hearing that, coupled with what happened during the Misao case, his perspective of Alkan changed a bit.

The two of them managed to get to the road that lead back to the city and Alkan said, "I think I feel better." Alkan got off of Ren and tried to use Fuujutsu. He winced a bit but said, "Let's head back to the Kannagi residence, I'm sure that Jugo would want to hear your report on the matter." With that he grabbed Ren and the two flew off into the air.

As they were flying Ren asked, "Alkan-san, what do you think nii-sama and nee-sama are doing right now?"

Alkan thought about it for a moment before replying, "Hmm, I don't know. For all I can tell Kazuma's probably teasing Ayano or something." Little did they know something like that was going on around another part of the city, as the two made their way to the Kannagi residence.


	7. Practical Night Jokes

Chapter 7 – Practical Night Jokes

A few days after the Firebird incident Alkan was called in by Jugo, saying something about an important job for him and Kazuma. Alkan wondered what it was as he left his apartment. Outside he bumped into Chisato who was just coming back from school. She called out, "Alkan!"

"Chisato…" Alkan said. Chisato approached him as she said, "Thank goodness I found you. I have something to ask you."

Alkan was curious as he said, "Okay, so what's the problem?"

"Something weird has been happening at Seiryo Academy lately. From what I heard it sounded like the school's been haunted by a ghost at night. Several of the students have seen it and one of the teachers got hurt trying to run away from it." Chisato explained.

Alkan laughed at that last part as he asked, "Okay, now that's funny. I hope that the teacher alright though."

"Don't worry it; I heard that he just had a sprained ankle, that's all." Chisato assured him, "Anyway, what I wanted to ask you is, could you please look into it for me?"

Alkan thought about it for a moment then replied, "Hmm, I guess it alright. Normally I would charge you for a job like this. But I'm not like a certain someone, so I'll check it out later tonight."

"Thank you very much!" Chisato said happily, "I'll meet you at the school tonight. Here, I'll give you the directions to where Seiryo is." She took out a piece of paper and wrote down the directions to Seiryo Academy from the apartments. Then she gave it to him and gave a wave saying, "See ya later Alkan!" She went into her apartment shortly afterwards. Alkan pocketed the note and thought, 'Hmm, from what she told me it doesn't sound too dangerous. It's probably just a mischievous spirit or something.'

He traveled towards the Kannagi mansion while thinking about it. When he reached the entrance Alkan was escorted by one of the attendants to the meeting room where Jugo was waiting. They reached the entrance and the attendant opened the door, with Jugo saying, "Ah, Alkan, come in."

"You wanted to see me Jugo?" Alkan said as he came in and sat down in front of Jugo.

"Yes, I wanted to ask you something. But first, let me ask, what do you think of Kazuma and Ayano?" Jugo asked him.

Alkan was thrown off by this sudden question. He had to think about it before he asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Jugo smiled and said, "Well, I guess what I meant was, do you think Kazuma and Ayano look good together?"

This question threw Alkan off once again. He wondered how he should answer that, since Cui-Ling was with him and she would most certainly be listening in on the conversation. Alkan thought about it for a moment then answered, "I guess they do, once the two stop bickering to each other."

A small laugh came from Jugo as he said, "Yes, now let me ask you, would you be willing to help me get them together?"

From how the conversation was going Alkan sort of expected that. He thought to himself, 'Hmm, getting them together would be interesting. Kazuma's been starting to kind of act like his old self, ever since I came into town. Is it okay with you though Cui-Ling?'

'…It's okay with me…' Cui-Ling told him. Alkan thought, 'We'd better talk about this later.' Then Alkan replied, "Uh, I guess I can help, though I'm no cupid."

Jugo had a reassured look on his face as he said, "Well, I guess that means that I can offer you the job as Ayano's bodyguard. Now before you say anything I also offered Kazuma the same thing but at a higher price. I know that you have other job requests from your reputation, so what I'm offering you is more around part time employment. Is that okay with you?"

"I don't mind those conditions Jugo. But I can't tonight, a friend had asked me to look into something." Alkan told him.

"That's okay; it works out perfectly that way anyway, no offense. I'm sending Kazuma and Ayano out on a job hoping that it builds some kind of trust between them." Jugo said. Alkan replied, "Knowing those two, that's probably not going to happen overnight."

"Sadly, it's true." Jugo said while shaking his head. Alkan got up and said, "Thanks for the job Jugo. I'll try to make sure that yours or Ayano's calls take top priority okay?" With that he got up and left saying "See you later."

When Alkan left Jugo wondered, 'I hope Alkan's presence between them might help. But I can't remember if Kazuma's the jealous type for some reason. Well, I'd better prepare for when I tell Ayano the news.'

As Alkan was walking towards the exit he thought, 'Are you there Cui-Ling?'

'Yes, I am.' She said dully. Alkan thought, 'I want to know seriously, are you alright with this?'

There was a moment of silence as he left the Kannagi estate. Then Cui-Ling's reply came and she said, 'Honestly, I'm alright. It's going to be a while until I get a new body, and I want Kazuma to be happy.' Alkan waited for more but it was quiet and figured she cut the link between them. He could tell from the way her 'voice' sounded it was a bit shaky. So he didn't say anymore and thought, 'She must still love him, well I'm not surprised.' His thought sounded a bit resentful and little did he know Cui-Ling heard the thought.

***

Later that night Alkan arrived at Seiryo Academy, following the instructions Chisato gave him. The instructions actually led him to a side entrance where Chisato was waiting. He saw her waiting by a nearby tree and she waved at him as Alkan approached. Chisato said, "Glad you could make it. For a moment I thought you wouldn't come."

"What are you talking about? Do I look like someone who stands up a lady?" Alkan asked in a smug voice.

"No, of course not!" Chisato replied hastily. Alkan looked around and asked, "So, what's going on here?"

"As I said earlier something weird's happening here. I think it's some kind of ghost or a hitodama or something. I'm not too sure." Chisato went off a bit and looked around. That was when Alkan got a pretty good idea for a practical joke and thought, 'This is gonna be fun.'

A bit earlier Kazuma and Ayano arrived on campus. She was a bit peeved that Kazuma was her full-time bodyguard but wondered why Jugo offered the job to Alkan too, despite it being only part-time. They had just found Yukari and Nanase and Ayano was busy talking to them. Meanwhile Kazuma noticed Alkan's presence and vice versa thinking, 'I wonder what he's doing here.'

Suddenly there was a loud pitch screen which made everyone look to where the scream came from. A second later Chisato shouted, "AAAHHH! GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!" Then they saw Chisato come around a corner followed by a few fireballs that were a bit too close to her. Then Alkan came around the corner laughing to himself as he struggled to say, "Oh no, it's going for your butt!"

"NNNNOOOO!" Chisato shouted as she came around. Kazuma smirked at what was going on while Ayano fired her own fireballs at the ones that were following Chisato. They connected and blew up making Chisato jump. When she saw that there were no more fireballs she ran up to Alkan furious as she shouted, "What the heck was that for?!"

Alkan was still laughing as he said, "It was just a harmless joke Chisato."

"Harmless joke my ass!" Chisato said as she tried punching Alkan but was blocked by his wind barrier. She continued throwing punches as Alkan calmed own, and she stopped after seeing that not one will connect. Alkan looked around and saw Kazuma and the others, he asked, "Hey guys, what're you doing here?"

Kazuma replied, "I'm here as her bodyguard." He pointed over to Ayano. She too said, "Alkan, I thought you were busy doing something. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm here because Chisato here," Alkan pointed to Chisato who was busy greeting Yukari and Nanase, "asked me to check out what was going on here. I'm guessing the two of you are here for the same reason?"

"Yeah, my father told me the details. He also told me that you also agreed to be my bodyguard along with Kazuma. What's up with that?" Ayano asked. This question got Yukari and Nanase's attention while Chisato wondered what she was talking about.

"He asked me to be your bodyguard, and I agreed, simple as that. Though I can't be around all the time like Kazuma though." Alkan told her. Ayano felt like he wasn't telling her something but dropped it. She respected him enough not to go further, instead Alkan turned to Yukari and Nanase asking, "Mind introducing me to your friends Ayano? I believe we've met before but haven't been introduced properly, right?"

Yukari and Nanase went up to him and introduced themselves, Yukari saying, "I'm Yukari Shinomiya, nice to meet you." Nanase was next saying, "Nanase Kudo, it's nice to meet you."

"Alkan Hosenkou, pleasure to meet you ladies." Alkan said as he nodded to them. Kazuma said, "So what are you going to do Alkan?"

"I think the two of us will come along, since all of us are looking for the same thing. Is that alright with you?" Alkan asked.

Kazuma just shrugged and said, "Suit yourself." Yukari and Nanase both giggled and Yukari said, "Aw, too bad, your little date just got interrupted Ayano-chan. Oh, or is it now a double date?"

Ayano sputtered, "I-it's nowhere near like that." Chisato however looked indifferent and said, "You two can be such romanticists." She shook her head at the two as Kazuma said, "C'mon, if we stay here any longer the sun's gonna come up."

"You…" Ayano muttered under her breath. All six of them walked with them with Chisato, Yukari, and Nanase in front. From the way they were acting Chisato got swept up in Yukari and Nanase's excitement, much to Alkan's amusement. Alkan said to Kazuma, "You think that this'll be one long night?"

"Maybe…Who knows?" Kazuma replied casually. From how Ayano was acting he thought, 'It's going to be one long night for the princess here.' Suddenly he felt something and turned his head to look around. He saw nothing and thought, 'That's weird, I thought I felt something watching us…'

Kazuma noticed Alkan's behavior and asked, "Something wrong?"

Alkan shook his head and replied, "No…it's nothing." He sighed as the group went into the school building. Little did he know, there was a certain spirit watching the group, with the spirit thinking, 'This will be fun, for sure…'

***

The six of them had walked through the school building for a while now, and they haven't run into anything yet. But for Alkan, he had this weird feeling for quite a while, and when he gave a look at Kazuma, he nodded which meant that he felt it too. Alkan had moved up to the front of the group and thought, 'This weird feeling, yet there's no trace of maliciousness. I wonder what's going on here.'

Soon, the conversation between the girls changed to the subject of the 'Seven Wonders of Seiryo Academy.' He heard Yukari list them off, "Let's see, Ohana-san in the bathroom, the piano in the music room that plays by itself when no one's there, the staircase that lengthens when a full moon is out, the human mannequin that moves at midnight, the ghost of a dropout student that appears in the library, the monster cherry tree that whispers…"

The last one caught Alkan's attention as Ayano asked, "Monster cherry tree?"

Chisato said, "Oh, I know this one. It's about that old cherry tree on the campus right? Even though it hasn't bloomed in years I heard that people started to hear it whispering lately, am I right?"

"That's the one Chisato-chan!" Yukari nodded.

Ayano brushed it off saying, "No way, I bet it were just the branches swaying in the wind." Alkan thought, 'Just branches swaying in the wind? I wonder…' Ayano asked, "So, what's the other one?"

Yukari replied, "Well, there's supposed to be seven wonders, but there are only six of them…"

"Wait, I know one!" Chisato said. The three turned to her and Yukari got very curious, someone in the school knew something she didn't? Now she really wanted to know. Chisato got a bit nervous from Yukari's stare but said, "This one's very recent so I don't think many people know, but I heard that in the basement, there's a trap door that leads to an underground cave, and if you go in deep enough, the cave slowly becomes an ice cavern, and the ice glows too." Both Alkan and Kazuma looked interested in this little story as Chisato went on, "I heard that the door's kept locked now, 'cause a former janitor went down to check it out and nearly got captured by some kind of ice spirit that looks like a woman. That's all I know for now."

"Oooh, that's very interesting, thanks for the info Chisato-chan!" Yukari said, "I bet it's true, because just a few weeks ago, someone from the janitorial department called Hikimori-san resigned due to unknown reasons."

"You know," Ayano interrupted, "Those stories don't have anything to do with the hitodama at all. First of all, if there was really something in the school these two would have sense it already." She pointed her fingers at Alkan and Kazuma.

At that moment both of them stopped and Alkan looked behind him, causing the girls to look a Kazuma, who was looking in the same direction. Kazuma conjured a sliver of wind and sent it flying behind him. To Alkan and Kazuma's slight surprised a blast of wind came coming back and Alkan turned around as the wind flipped all of the girl's skirts. When the wind died down Ayano shouted, "Kazuma!"

"It wasn't me. For all you know it could've been him." Kazuma simply told her as he pointed to Alkan. He shook his head as Alkan faced them, while Ayano didn't buy that for one second and said, "Yeah right. You saw it, didn't you?"

"Nope." Kazuma said half convincingly. Ayano summoned Enraiha and shouted, "Die scum!" She was about to swing her sword at him when Kazuma stopped her. That's when they saw a blue light pass by, which made the other three girls freak out a bit. Alkan thought, 'That's weird, that light looked familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it.'

"Let's keep going." Kazuma said as he let go of Ayano and she dematerialized Enraiha. She just huffed to herself as Chisato, Yukari, and Nanase got up. Alkan started walking with the others in front of him as he was lost in thought for a bit.

A few minutes later there was nothing as the group continued to walk down the hall. Ayano asked Kazuma, "Can you sense the presence of that light from earlier?'

"Nope, not at all." Kazuma replied. Shaking her head Ayano asked Alkan, "Can you find anything Alkan?"

"Sorry, I'm still trying." Alkan muttered, however half his mind was trying to figure out what that light was. Ayano couldn't believe and she turned to Kazuma saying, "What, are you kidding me? This thing can get past both of your searching abilities?

Kazuma figured that Ayano would harp on him and shortly said, "Good point."

Alkan listened in on the conversation and smirked as Kazuma sounded a bit too playful, while Ayano was just plain pissed. When Ayano grabbed Kazuma shouting, "Tell me everything you know!" He watched as Kazuma kissed her nose and thought, 'There's not one ounce of seriousness around.' Alkan looked at Chisato and saw that she was quite amused at the scene.

When Kazuma told Ayano to watch out the spirit went by and knocked her off her feet. When she got back up the spirit said in an eerie voice, "Go away…go away… Don't come any closer…or else-!"

Suddenly a very painful moaning came from Alkan. They turned to look at him and saw that his back was facing them. He looked like he was holding his head as he moaned, "What have you done to me…?"

"Uh, are you alright Al-?" Ayano started to ask but Alkan suddenly turned around to reveal half of his face looking like it decayed as he shouted, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!"

Predictably, the four girls and the spirit screamed like crazy as the spirit ran off, while the girls ran into the nearest classroom and hid themselves there. Kazuma just looked at Alkan and asked, "You just had to do that, didn't you?"

Alkan put his right hand to his face, and it revealed that the look was only an illusion created by his wind powers. He replied with a smile, "Of course, you got to admit that it was pretty good."

Kazuma smiled and said, "Yeah, it was." He called out to the girls, "It's alright girls, it was just a practical joke." The four peeked out with their heads and saw that Alkan's face was back to normal. They came out and both Ayano and Chisato looked mad at him. He said, "We'd better keep going, the spirit ran off to who knows where." Alkan walked forward with a small grin on his face. Kazuma followed thinking, 'Well, that part of him sure hasn't changed.'

As they kept going through the school the four girls were met with a few mishaps caused by the spirit. First was a gust of wind that lifted them in the air then dropped them. Second was Ayano tripping down a flight of stairs with a wet towel flung to her face, while chasing after the spirit. Third, was the four of them slipping on a puddle of wax that the spirit spilt. Fourth was the flying human model in the infirmary, which freaked them out.

When Alkan and Kazuma watched the latest one, where a torrent of water was chasing them, Alkan asked, "These look like practical jokes, don't they?"

"Yup." Kazuma replied. Now they were in a classroom with Ayano drying off the other girls' uniforms with her fire. Suddenly Alkan was about to walk out of the classroom saying, "I'm going to head outside for a bit." With that he left before anyone could say anything.

Outside he looked around and still he felt nothing out of the ordinary. He tried focusing his Fuujushi abilities and all he found was that the area was a bit more wind saturated for some reason. Suddenly he felt the wind starting to gather near the area where the old cherry tree was. He tried to walk towards it but for some reason he felt a lot of resistance. Alkan thought, "Well, that's weird."

Alkan headed back to where the others were coming out, just in time to see a bucket fall upon Ayano's head. He winced as he heard Chisato say, "Ooh, now that's a classic."

"Isn't it?" Yukari said as she took a picture.

"Never thought I would see something like that." Nanase said.

That's when they heard the spirit say, "You fools! That's what you get for ignoring my warnings! Ahahaha!" That's when Ayano was so mad that the bucket blew up off of her. She materialized Enraiha and started firing fireballs at the spirit shouting, "Damn you! Take this!"

They watched as Ayano kept firing at the spirit, and she didn't stop until Kazuma went up to her and said, "That's enough."

Ayano turned around with tears in her eyes saying, "But-!" Alkan said, "Ayano calm down! The spirit's just messing with you ya know!"

Ayano said to them, "You two don't understand how humiliating it is to have a bucket fall on your head!" Then she went on her knees and started crying her eyes out in humiliation. Alkan said to Kazuma, "I don't think we want to know, right Kazuma?"

"That's right." Kazuma replied. Then he turned to the spirit and shouted, "Our little princess is at her limit! Stop playing and get down here now!"

The spirit laughed and said, "I dare you to try and catch me-!" But Kazuma just used his Fuujutsu to pin the spirit down and throw it around a bit. When it was enough as Kazuma drew the spirit to him. Everyone gathered around and the spirit was revealed to be a pixie. Alkan thought, 'A pixie huh? Now it makes sense.'

"Alkan, what is that?" Chisato asked him.

"It's a pixie, a type of fairy. They're related to the wind, but they love to make trouble a lot." Alkan replied. The pixie came to her senses and said, "Ehe, I'm Tiana!"

Ayano shouted, "I don't care about that! What I want to know is why you did such a thing?!" Tiana's reply was, "Because, I wanted the humans to stay away!"

That answer made Alkan curious as he thought, 'Stay away from what?' He looked around and saw the old cherry tree and felt something weird from it. He turned to see Kazuma stopping Ayano from swinging her sword and telling her off. Then he heard Yukari say, "Oh, Ayano-chan and Fairy-san are mentally the same age."

"That's true." Chisato agreed. Both Ayano and Tiana were mad about that and were saying the same thing simultaneously. This caused everyone to laugh while the two pouted. That's when Kazuma said, "Don't be mad Ayano. C'mon, I'll treat you to dinner or something later."

As Chisato watched the scene unfold she whispered to Alkan, "Is something going on between them?"

"From the looks of things right now, not really." Alkan whispered back, "They're always like this."

Chisato wondered about that and thought that she'd ask Yukari later. That's when Kazuma asked Tiana, "So, what are you doing here?"

"We're going to make an old man's wish come true." Tiana said as she flew towards the cherry tree.

"Old man?" The four said, not understanding. Only Alkan and Kazuma understood what Tiana meant by her words and they watched the pixies get to work. The four watched in awe as the pixies made the tree blossom fully. A moment later a wind came by and blew the blossoms away beautifully. When it was all over the pixies left with Tiana saying, "See ya!"

Now that the whole scene was over they started to leave, still amazed at what they saw. When Chisato looked at Alkan she thought she saw a woman with short green hair floating behind him. She took another look and saw nothing, just Alkan. She thought, 'I must've imagined it for a second there.' She shrugged and followed the other girls.

Now that they were walking off the campus Chisato said, "Now that was quite interesting, right Alkan?"

"Yeah, it looks like nothing bad happened either. Just a whole bunch of practical jokes." Alkan replied.

"Yeah, one of those being yours by the way." Chisato said with a smug look.

"Sorry about that." Alkan said. Then they stopped and he heard Kazuma explain the nature of pixies. When he finished Ayano went into full rage rant mode and Alkan said, "I bet you enjoyed watching all that, right Kazuma."

Kazuma looked at him with a smile and Alkan said, "Figures." Then they watched as Ayano continued to rant on in rage.


	8. Earth Shaker

Chapter 8 – Earth Shaker

A few days later Alkan woke up from a weird dream. A bunch of earth spirits were asking for help, and all he could hear was them whispering, "Help us, help us." over and over again. When he woke up Alkan felt a bit freaked out about it. He wondered as a call came from Lan. Alkan answered it saying, "Hey Lan, what's up?"

"How do you know it's me?" Lan asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Because you're the only one who calls me this early in the morning." Alkan replied dully. Lan sighed on the other line and said, "Well, maybe this will wake you up. Some guys in Odawara say that something weird's going on with the land; it keeps shaking from time to time. The guys that contacted me tried to get the Tsuwabuki to check it out but for some strange reason, things have been quiet over there. So since the guys know that you're a Chijutsushi they called me to ask you if you can check it out for them."

Alkan found it odd that the Tsuwabukis were being unresponsive until he remembered that their Taisai ritual was due within at least three weeks. He found the Taisai rituals to be a blatant disregard for life, just like Kazuma did. Alkan stopped the Taisai ritual for another family a while ago and hoped that he didn't have to do it again, since it took all his strength to do that, and let's just say he didn't feel well for a while. Alkan replied, "I'll do it. Tell them that I'll have the problem solved by tonight."

"Sure thing Al." Lan hung up after that as Alkan closed his cellphone. He got dressed and sighed, "Whew, things sure got busy for me ever since I came to Tokyo."

When he left the apartment he passed Chisato's door and noticed a note pinned to it, addressed to him. He pulled it off and read it. It said,

_Alkan_

_I'm going to be away for a few days visiting my parents. Could you please make sure my apartment stays safe? Thanks a bunch!_

_Chisato_

"Geez, that girl asks for too much." Alkan said as he shook his head. He cast a spell over her apartment that would ward off malicious intents of any kind. Then he went off to the nearby station to take a train to Odawara.

***

When he got to Odawara he found someone waiting for him, an elderly man that knew about magic and other things. He explained that there have been recent earthquakes in the area, and that they weren't too serious, only small shakes. But a few nights ago some to the local residents have been hearing some weird bellows coming from the direction of Mt. Fuji.

When the man left Alkan wondered if this was related to the Tsuwabukis since they lived northwest of the mountain. He shook his head and decided to check the place were the man said the bellows were coming from. Alkan thought, 'Hmm, I feel something malicious in the air. Could it be a youma?'

As he was walking Alkan didn't watch where he was going when he bumped into someone. Both were sent crashing to the ground and Alkan thought, 'Damn, I gotta watch were I'm going! I keep bumping into people like this.' He got up and said, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." That's when Alkan recognized that voice. He looked and saw Chisato in regular clothes standing there. He said, "Uh, Chisato?"

Chisato got up and saw that it was Alkan who bumped into her, "Alkan…?"

Both of them were silent for a bit when Alkan asked, "What are you doing here Chisato?"

"I'm visiting my parents. What about you?" Chisato shot back.

"I got called in for a job. Something about the recent earthquakes and a bellowing sound coming from the direction of Mt. Fuji." Alkan explained to her.

Chisato got an interested look and said, "Really, I've been hearing rumors about that lately. The latest one is that the bellowing sound is coming from this giant tortoise, someone said they saw it a few nights ago and barely escaped with his life."

"Oh really…" Alkan figured that it could be true since recent rumors tend to be accurate. He turned to the direction of Mt. Fuji and said, "Thanks for the info Chisato, I'd better get going." Alkan took a few steps when Chisato called out to him, "Wait a minute!"

Alkan turned to her and asked, "What? Is there something else?"

"Let me come with you." Chisato told him. Alkan shook his head and said, "Out of the question. If the rumor you told me was right then there's something dangerous up ahead. And what about your parents, wouldn't they be worried?"

"It shouldn't be a problem. I told them I was going out for a while so it's okay." Chisato told him. Alkan sighed and said, "I'm not going to win this argument, aren't I?"

Chisato smiled and said, "Yes, you aren't."

"Did you at least bring your charm along?" Alkan asked her as the two started walking.

Alkan looked and saw Chisato take out the wind charm he gave her. She replied, "Of course, I don't go anywhere without it ever since that incident." Alkan noticed that a tip of the charm looked burnt and thought, 'Hmm, looks like the charm's still good.'

The two walked out of town and into a forested area. Alkan felt the malicious presence grow stronger and knew they were going in the right direction. Chisato shivered and said, "Ugh, something doesn't feel right here."

Alkan rose and eyebrow and said, "Make sure you don't loose that charm alright?" He thought, "It must be really bad of Chisato can feel that ominous presense."

The two kept walking until they came to a cave that looked like it rose from the ground. Alkan could feel the dark energy of what felt like a youma coming from the cave, as well as the pain of the earth itself. Alkan winced at it all and Chisato asked, "What's wrong Alkan?"

"Ugh, something awful is down there, and it ain't natural. I think you better stay here." Alkan said.

"What?! No way, I'm coming with you!" Chisato argued.

'This girl, she may be brave but all she has for protection is that charm, and I don't think it would be effective down there.' Alkan thought. Before he could say anything, a bunch of earth spirits gathered together to for what looked like a fairy with a golden aura. Chisato asked, "Is she a pixie?"

"No, this is a Fairy Gnome, a low level earth spirit. They're like pixies but their affinity is with the earth." Alkan replied. Chisato looked at him and asked, "But aren't gnomes supposed to be those short little people that look like dwarves?"

"Dwarves and gnomes are mid-level spirits, and most of them live in Canada and Russia. I've never seen any in Japan, and if they do live here, then they sure do a good heck of a job hiding." Alkan replied. Chisato just shook her head as the Fairy Gnome said, "Thank goodness you came here. We were getting worried when no one was responding to our calls for help."

Alkan eyed the Fairy Gnome and asked, "Was that your tribe that called for help?"

The Fairy Gnome nodded and replied, "Yes, it was. Oh, I forgot, my name's Tierria, and unlike most of my brethren, I'm actually a mid-level spirit in human terms."

Alkan eyed Tierria again and said, "Wow, now that is something." Tierria looked at Alkan for a bit, and then suddenly her eyes widened. She said, "Wait, you're the person Hime-sama contr-!"

"Yes, I am, and I would like it kept under wraps." Alkan interrupted, grabbing Tierria to keep her mouth shut. Chisato eyes narrowed a bit as she said, "'Hime-sama'? Who the heck is that?"

"No one you should know." Alkan said. There was a reason Alkan didn't like talking about that particular subject but that will be unveiled in due time. Instead he got an idea and he let got of Tierria and asking, "You're here to guide us to the source of this mess right?"

"Yes, what of it?" Tierria asked him.

"Would you be able to protect this girl over there?" Alkan pointed his thumb over to Chisato, "She wants to come with us but she doesn't have many means to protect herself." Chisato argued, "I can take care of myself just fine, you know."

"Not against creatures like youma," Alkan snapped, "Or did you forget what happened with the slime incident."

This shut Chisato up as Tierria replied, "Yes I'm able to protect the girl, but if the spawn comes after us I can't hold it off."

"Good, then let's get going." Alkan said as he started to walk towards the cave. Chisato huffed and said, "Geez, this guy can be so annoying sometimes." Tierria followed them wondering, 'I wonder why Hime-sama chose him.'

A few minutes later Tierria was leading Alkan and Chisato through the cave, with her aura lighting up the place in front of them. Alkan sighed while Chisato was in still in a bad mood. That was when they reached a crossroad when Alkan asked, "Could we stop for a moment Tierria?"

"What for?" Chisato asked. Alkan replied, "I just want to take a look at something." He took out a flashlight he brought with him and started to examine the entrance they just came through. After looking at if for a bit he murmured, "Figures, this was just recent from the look of it." He turned off his flashlight and put it away saying, "Okay, lead the way Tierria."

As they walked further down into the cave the walls were starting to glitter with green crystals that were glowing. Chisato looked at them in awe and said, "Wow, it looks so beautiful. I never knew crystals like this existed."

Alkan said, "They look like emeralds charged with energy." Tierria said, "Very few of them are actual emeralds, the rest are just crystals charged with energy and absorbing the light from the emeralds."

Before Chisato could say anything Alkan told her, "Hold off on what you want to say until after I'm finished, alright?"

Chisato couldn't believe how Alkan was acting. He saw the look on her face and said, "Sorry, I just get serious when I do jobs like this. Don't take it personally, alright?" Chisato was a bit surprised by that and all she said was, "Okay…"

Suddenly the ominous feeling got a lot stronger that Tierria and Chisato hesitated a bit. Alkan asked, "You two alright?"

Both Chisato and Tierria nodded with Tierria saying, "The beast spawn is getting stronger! We must hurry!" They followed Tierria as picked up the pace. Soon they heard bellowing noises as Tierria explained, "Some of us have sealed the beast spawn in, but the seal won't last much longer."

"What exactly is this 'beast spawn'?" Alkan asked as they started to run. Tierria replied darkly, "It's a spawn of the behemoth sealed away under Mt. Fuji."

Alkan and Chisato were shocked by this piece of news. Alkan wondered if the seal weakened or something, while Chisato couldn't believe something was actually sealed beneath Mt. Fuji. At least she could read the situation and decided to ask questions later. Alkan asked, "What the heck happened?"

"I don't know, a few weeks ago the earth started to tremble, and we knew that the behemoth's seal was starting to weaken once again. However a few days later a particular shake caused a crack to open up in one of the larger caverns. That's when the behemoth's aura started to pour in. We sealed off the area instantly but a few days ago the aura manifested itself into what looked like a spawn of the creature." Tierria explained.

'Great, what I'm up against is a spawn of a high-level youma creature. I might have to go all out on this one.' Alkan thought. That's when Tierria stopped in front of them, causing the two to stop. Up ahead they saw a glimmering golden light that looked like had a few cracks in it. Tierria said, "That's the barrier, and it looks like it's starting to break!" Beyond the barrier they could see something moving but it wasn't clear enough to identify. Tierria said, "The spawn is beyond this barrier. Please be careful contractor."

Alkan said, "The name's Alkan, and don't you forget it Tierria." Tierria just nodded and she focused her power on the barrier. Alkan saw what she was doing and he walked right through it. Chisato was stunned for a while and was about to follow him when Tierria said, "Wait, don't go! It's better if you wait here!"

"What?" Chisato asked in surprised. Tierria told her, "If you go through there you'll be in danger to the dark aura the spawn enshrouds itself in! A few of my fellow Fairy Gnomes fell to the aura and I know that it's deadly to normal humans without proper protection!"

All Chisato could do was grumble, but knew that she would only get in the way since she didn't have any special powers. Chisato walked up to the barrier and tried to see what was going on, on the other side.

Meanwhile, the moment Alkan was on the other side of the barrier he felt a very awful aura. He knew that it had the ability to do something to the natural environment and sure enough, he saw on the other side of the cavern, was the behemoth spawn. It was created due to the aura bonding with the surrounding earth and gave it a mini version of it's true form. Luckily the crystals in the cavern made the area bright enough that Alkan could see properly.

The first thing he did was send an earth spike crashing down from above. It was busy trying to dig through rock on the other side. The spike didn't harm it but it did catch the spawn's attention. It turned around and gave a loud bellow as it fired some kind of dark energy shot at Alkan. He managed to dodge it and sent a number of wind slashes and icicle shots in retaliation. Both attacks flung off the spawn's aura but a few icicle shots went through, though all they did was scratch the shell.

The behemoth spawn started to get annoyed and fired a whole bunch of dark shots at Alkan. As he dodged most of the shots and sliced others apart with his wind Alkan thought, 'Offensively, it's weak but that defense is crazy strong. I'll need a lot more power to punch through it. I guess I don't have much of a choice then.'

As the attacks stopped Alkan concentrated on the ceiling above the spawn and sent a number of crystal laden boulders crashing down upon it. To his surprise some of the crystals that hit the spawn exploded, causing the creature some pain. He got an idea as he concentrated and thought, "Earth Spirit Princess, I call upon you. Lend me your power to defeat this abomination!'

On the other side of the barrier Tierria felt the surge of energy and said, "Oh, Alkan-san just activated the contract!"

"Contract?" Chisato asked, looking confused. She didn't have a clue what Tierria was talking about. Meanwhile inside the cavern the behemoth spawn just got all the rubble off of itself when it saw Alkan staring at it. He had torn off his eyepatch and now his eyes were blond-gold and were glowing, with a lock of his hair now a visible light brown.

Alkan shouted, "Come on you sorry piece of shit! Come and get me!"

The spawn bellowed and started firing dark shots at it as well as earth spikes from it's shell cover. Alkan stomped his foot and an earthen wall as hard as steel came up in front of him, taking all the hits.

When it was over the wall subsided only to show Alkan gathering earth spirits in his hand. Then before the spawn could react Alkan slammed his hand into the ground, hoping for a certain something to appear. He got his wish when suddenly a whole bunch of green crystals sprung up from the ground and pierced the behemoth spawn in several different places.

The spawn bellowed and found that it couldn't move anymore. It tried to fire another shot when another crystal sprung up and pierced it's mouth. Alkan focused and another crystal appeared in front of him. It shaped itself in the form of an arrow and he aimed it at the behemoth spawn. Alkan launched it as he shouted, "Die, dark spawn!"

The crystal arrow pierced right through the spawn from front to end. The behemoth fell dead before disintegrating. Now that the spawn was gone most of the dark aura vanish but he felt something still coming. He looked around and saw a crack where the spawn was digging before. The aura was leaking there and figured that it was caused by a tremor. Alkan summoned the last of his strength and the earth filled into the crack, until it looked like the crack was never there.

That was when the barrier broke and both Tierria and Chisato came rushing into the cavern. They saw Alkan as his eyes went back to their normal red and brown ones. He fell down in exhaustion as they approached him. Tierria looked excited as she said, "Amazing, just amazing! Now I see why Hime-sama chose you!"

At that Chisato got frustrated and asked, "Just who is this 'Hime-sama' you've been referring to you fairy?!"

Tierria looked like she just got scandalized for a moment, then she recovered and replied, "Honestly, humans can be so ignorant. I'm talking about the Earth Spirit Princess, equal to the Earth Spirit King." Chisato still looked confused as Alkan managed to get up and say, "Don't worry, ugh, Tierria, she's one of the many not involved with magic and stuff." Alkan was a bit wobbly and Chisato ran over to support him. Chisato was a bit surprised at Alkan's red eye but asked, "Are you alright?"

"Fine, I'm just fine." Alkan said. Suddenly he fell asleep while Chisato was supporting him and the last thing he heard was, "Alkan? Hey Alkan!"

***

_Flashback_

_Alkan was back in Canada, or more specifically, British Colombia in the Columbia mountain range near Prince George. He was looking for a particular area, where he heard rumors that there was a high amount of earth spirits somewhere in the Columbia Mountain range. Now he was busy hiking around for two days with no such luck, and he was dead tired._

_Now he heard a waterfall that was nearby and decided to head for it when he heard a female voice shout, "Help me! Someone please help me!"_

_In an instant Alkan made his way to the source and when he did, found a very odd scene. There was what looked like a quicksand pit and in the center of it, was a girl with long cream brown hair and golden-blond eyes, and she was halfway in the pit. From what Alkan could tell, the girl was wearing an olive green robe that looks like a dress with sleeves. The girl looked at him and said in an unusually calm manner, "Oh hello there!"_

_"Uh, hello?" Alkan was confused at the situation. The girl said, "Excuse me but you wouldn't mind grabbing that rope over there, and throwing it to me?" Alkan looked around and saw a rope that was nearby, he picked it up as the girl said, "That's it! Throw it to me please!"_

_Alkan tied one end of the rope to his wrist since he was partially tired and didn't want to grip it too hard. Then he threw the other end to the girl who did the same thing. When Alkan saw that she was done he surprisingly pulled her out with ease. When the girl got to her feet she said, "Thank you very much mister. Now let me return the favor!" Suddenly she pushed Alkan into the quicksand pit, but due to the fact that they were still tied to the rope both of them fell in._

_Now Alkan was pissed off as they were slowly sinking. He shot a look at her and asked, "Okay, just who do you think you are, pushing me in like that?!"_

_"I'm the Earth Spirit Princess." The girl replied simply, "So who are you?"_

_Alkan couldn't believe it. He closed his eyes and smacked his head saying, "Alkan Hosenkou…" That was when he realized what she just said, and thought, 'Wait a minute, she just said that she's the Earth Spirit Princess. Then that means…'_

_When Alkan turned to her, he saw that the Earth Spirit Princess was acting like a ditz, and he suddenly realized that she's been acting like that all along. He shook his head and said, "Hey, if you're really the Earth Spirit Princess then why don't you use your powers to get us out of this mess!"_

_The Earth Spirit Princess thought about it and said, "Oh, why didn't I think of that!" Alkan smacked his head as the Spirit Princess focused and they started to rise out of the quicksand. When they were out of it the quicksand instantly hardened that they were standing on it. The Princess said, "Oh thank you very much Mr. Alkan!"_

_Alkan couldn't believe that the Earth Spirit Princess was acting this way. He was even more surprised when she said, "As thanks for helping me why don't we make a contract?"_

***

Alkan woke up to find himself lying near the entrance to the cave. He remembered that the Earth Spirit princess came to her senses shortly after they made the contract. Alkan slowly got up and heard Chisato say, "So the sleepyhead finally wakes up!"

When Alkan was on his feet he saw that it was almost sunset. He asked, "Ugh, how long was I out?" Chisato thought about it and said, "I think you were out for an hour. Carrying you through the cave wasn't easy you know."

Alkan smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry about that." That was when she saw Chisato holding a peculiar looking leather bag and asked, "Hey, what's that in your hands."

Chisato went over to Alkan and said, "Take a look." She opened the bag to find four emeralds and a rock that had a glowing green crystals and even an emerald in it. Chisato explained, "Some of the Fairy Gnome tribe members came up to us and gave me this. Tierria said that it was a reward for you for getting rid of that creature for them, and for plugging up the hole that the dark aura was seeping out of, whatever that means." Chisato held it out for him and said, "Here, this is yours."

Alkan took it and took out three of the emeralds. Then he held out the leather bag and said, "Here, consider it a souvenir from our little trip."

Chisato's eyes widened and she took the bag from him. As Alkan took out another bag and put the emeralds in it she said excitedly, "Oh thank you very much Alkan! I especially like the rock with the crystal formation and the emerald!"

The two started walking back to town as Alkan looked around and said, "Man, I'm beat." Chisato said, "You know, you can stay at my parents' place."

Alkan looked at her and asked, "Won't they ask questions?"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." Chisato assured him. Alkan wondered what she meant by that as they walked back into town.


	9. Cold Fire

Chapter 9 – Cold Fire

Three days have passed since the behemoth spawn mission. Alkan managed to recover but he still felt a bit sore from it. He sighed as he prepared breakfast for himself. When he finished is cell phone rang, so he went over and picked it up saying, "Hello?"

"Alkan? Good you're there." Jugo's voice said on the other side. Alkan asked, "Is something wrong Jugo?"

"No, not in particular. I need you to come to the Kannagi residence as soon as possible. I have a job for you." Jugo replied. Alkan nodded even though Jugo couldn't see him and said, "Alright, I'll see you soon." Alkan hung up and started getting dressed. Since it was the weekend he wondered what Jugo wanted.

Back at the Kannagi residence Jugo sighed as he put down the phone and thought, 'I guess sending them off together is the best. Ayano's starting to ask questions and I even feel that Kazuma's starting to wonder.'

Alkan was fully dressed, including the cloak and went off to the Kannagi residence. The breakfast he ate made him feel better and he didn't feel any more soreness as he flew off.

A few minutes later he touched down in front of the gate to the Kannagi mansion. He walked though and oddly enough, there was no one there. Alkan didn't mind since he figured out the way to the meeting room where Jugo was usually found.

When he got there he opened the door to find Jugo, and surprisingly, Ayano waiting there. Alkan asked, "Something going on here?"

"No, please, take a seat. Let me explain what's this job's going to be." Jugo said. Alkan took a seat while Ayano asked, "Is Kazuma coming too?"

To Ayano's surprise Jugo replied, "Actually, it's going to be just you two on this job." This caught Alkan's ear as he continued, "Kazuma's actually busy with something else, so it will be just the two of you on this job." Ayano got curious but the stare that Jugo was giving her made Ayano quiet.

Alkan asked, "So, what's the job about?"

Jugo cleared his throat and said, "I've received a report that a strange cave has appeared near Seiryo Academy. Apparently there's a cold chill coming from the mouth of it and further into the cave it turns into an ice cavern."

"Great, another cave." Alkan mumbled. But then he realized that this sounded a lot what Chisato mentioned back at the pixie incident. Alkan looked at Ayano and saw that she thought the same thing. Jugo went on, "I'm sending you two over to investigate this phenomenon. Are you two ready?"

"I'll wait until Ayano's properly dressed. Not to be nosy or anything, but wearing a uniform skirt into an ice cavern is probably going to make you a bit cold Ayano, even Enjutsushis can't bear the extreme cold for long." Alkan said.

Ayano looked a bit miffed but said, "Okay, I'll get ready then." With that she got up and left the room to get changed. Jugo was a bit surprised by Ayano's behavior and Alkan noticed that too as he asked, "Is something bothering her?"

"I don't think so. Maybe it's because Kazuma's not here?" Jugo said. Alkan thought about it and replied, "Well, maybe I'll figure it out while on this job. You know, if Kazuma was the one to suggest what I said she would've argued against it at first before actually doing it."

Jugo laughed a bit and said, "That's true."

Both men sighed a bit when Ayano returned, only that she was wearing longer socks that went up to her thighs. Alkan sighed again and said, "You ready Ayano?"

"Sure am Alkan. Let's get going." Ayano walked out of the room as Alkan gave Jugo one last puzzled look before leaving after her. As the door closed Jugo thought, 'Hmm, I wonder how those two will work together.'

As the two were walking Ayano said, "Wow, our first job together huh? This should be interesting." Alkan wondered what was going through Ayano's head as he said, "Yeah, first time as your bodyguard, and without Kazuma either. Makes me wonder, where the heck is he?"

Somewhere in Hokkaido Kazuma was busy securing one of the Kannagi's warehouses from youma. It seemed that youma were attracted to what was in the warehouse, not to mention there were barriers erected around it preventing intruders from entering. Kazuma didn't complain since Jugo said that part of his pay was in the building. He just finished the last of the youma as he thought, 'Why did the Soshu send me all the way out here anyway? Well, whatever, it's time to head back.'

Alkan and Ayano were walking through a forest when Alkan said, "So, how're things between you and Kazuma these days?"

Ayano looked at him and replied, "Ugh, that guy's has a lot of ego. We've been on one other job together and all he ever does is give me vague answers when I ask him questions." She shook her head in frustration.

A smirk came from Alkan and he said, "I admit, it does sound a bit harsh, but I think he's just trying to get you to solve your problems on your own." Ayano told him, "I know, but you think he would be a bit more generous."

"Well, he does like to see people squirm. I think he got that from me." Alkan told her. Ayano raised an eyebrow and said, "Funny, I don't see you as the type."

Alkan laughed and said, "That was a while ago, things have changed then. Especially me, I was a bit different back then, but then again, I was traveling for different reasons."

Ayano didn't know what he was talking about, but considering how his tone changed at that last part, she didn't ask. That's when they arrived at the entrance to the cave. They could already see the chill coming out of the cave, looking like steam. Alkan looked around and saw that there was a barrier surrounding the cave. He said, "It looks like that the Special Investigations Unit came by already."

"How do you know that?" Ayano asked. Alkan pointed the talismans out to Ayano and replied, "A barrier's set up to prevent any normal person from entering."

"Oh." Ayano said. Alkan looked into the cave and said tiredly, "Well, let's get this over with." He walked into the cave with Ayano following. Instantly they felt the cold when they went in, Alkan had his cloak on so he didn't feel much of a difference but Ayano shivered for a bit before moving on.

Slowly the cave turned into an ice cavern with glowing icicles sticking out of the ceiling and walls. Ayano looked around and said, "Hey, that reminds me. Doesn't this look like what Chisato talked about back at Seiryo?"

"Yup, and I'm guessing that 'mystery' is pretty much accurate. There must be a path in this cavern that actually leads to the academy. All the more reason to finish this job quickly, right Ayano?" Alkan said.

"That's right!" Ayano said, waving a fist. Alkan smirked and said out loud, "They sure are alike in some ways…"

Alkan's statement got Ayano curious and she asked, "Who are you talking about?" Alkan realized he just said that out loud and thought, 'Oh well, there's no harm in telling Ayano.' They stopped for a bit as Alkan said, "First let me ask you, you've heard about the Fire Spirit Princess right?"

Ayano replied, "Of course I have, Father told me the legend, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot. My bad." Alkan said, "Anyway let me tell you the story of how I met the Fire Spirit Princess…"

***

_Flashback_

_"Good gawd, it's starting to get hot up here." Alkan complained. He was somewhere in China going up an active volcano. The Earth Spirit Princess told him that there was a place in China where the Fire Spirits have been gathering, and that it was most likely that the Fire Spirit Princess would be there too. She told him all this as an apology over what happened while she acted like a ditz. Now Alkan was climbing up and it was only thanks to his wind powers that prevented him from frying up in certain places._

_Alkan was starting to get near the crater when he suddenly heard loud explosions coming from the inside of the crater. He hurried his way up to the top in order to see what was going on. When he got there he found a strange site: a girl with long dark red hair in a ponytail and ruby eyes that emitted a faint glow was busy blowing up balls of magma that was jumping out of the lava pit. He saw that she was wearing a Japanese shrine maiden dress, which puzzled him since this was China after all. From the look on her face she seemed frustrated. Taking his chances Alkan made his way over to where the girl was._

_As he approached the girl turned around and shouted, "Finally, I've been tired of waiting! You're Alkan Hosenkou right?!"_

_Alkan was caught off by this and asked, "How do you know my name?!"_

_"Simple really, you've been the talk of the year. I heard about you from the spirits, that you've made contracts with the other Spirit Princesses. Oh, before I forget, I'm the Fire Spirit Princess; it's nice to meet cha!" The Fire Spirit Princess said excitedly._

_"I figured as much. Sorry if I sound rude but, what the heck do you want?" Alkan said._

_"Straight to the point, huh? I like that." The Fire Spirit Princess said as she smiled, "It's simple really, I want you to fight me." Alkan looked confused so she explained, "You see, it's been a while since I've fought someone strong. All the youma these days are weak and all the strong ones are either sealed away by humans or have gone into hiding. Since you have three Spirit Princess contracts I figure that you're pretty strong now."_

_Alkan's jaw dropped and thought, 'What is this Princess talking about? I've only got those contracts within a few months of each other, with the Wind Princess contract being the first. I haven't trained with my powers for a while so-.' His thought was interrupted when the Fire Spirit Princess shot a fireball at him, causing Alkan to dodge. The Fire Spirit Princess shouted, "Hey, are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to fight?!"_

_The Fire Spirit Princess' attitude was starting to get on Alkan's nerves and he gathered wind around his arm and shouted, "Fine, have it your way!" He shot the wind as a wind slash towards the Fire Spirit Princess._

_As the battle went on Alkan and the Fire Spirit Princess traded blows with each other. Eventually Alkan got the hang of it using a combination of wind and water shots. He thought, 'What's with this girl. I couldn't catch it at first but the Fire Princess' attacks are all straight forward.' Alkan dodged a fire pillar as he thought, 'Damn, it's like all she's thinking about attacking me. There's no tactics to them at all.'_

_Alkan used her simple fighting style to his advantage. All the Fire Spirit Princess could think about was attacking over and over again shouting, "Ahahaha, it's been so long since I've let loose like this! You better keep me entertained Alkan Hosenkou! Rainfire!"_

_"What?!" Alkan had barely any time to dodge when fireballs the size of basketballs started falling from the sky. Alkan dodged most of them while his wind barrier managed to stop the rest. Even with the barrier Alkan got some burns on his left shoulder from the dispersing fireballs. The Fire Spirit Princess taunted, "Aw, come on, is that all?"_

_The Fire Spirit Princess was starting to get on Alkan's nerves with her taunts and decided to finish this. He gathered water in his fists while wind surrounded his feet. Alkan thought, 'I was taught not to hit girls but, between hitting a girl and getting roasted literally, I think the choice is obvious.'_

_Before the Fire Spirit Princess could react Alkan sped towards her and punched her in the stomach with his water fist. This coupled with how fast Alkan was going, sent her flying and she nearly crashed into the crater wall. She managed to flip herself over and bounce off the wall. She recovered herself and shouted, "Now it's getting interesting!"_

_She didn't have a chance to attack however, when Alkan suddenly appeared and gave a kick to her side which she managed to block in time. Alkan kept up the attacks as the Fire Spirit Princess went on the defensive. Eventually Alkan wore the Fire Spirit Princess down and when she was on the ground, he was about hit her again when she held up her hand shouting, "Okay stop!"_

_Alkan managed to stop his fist before he punched the Fire Spirit Princess in the stomach again. He was so focused into the battle and staying alive he didn't realize what he was doing and thought, 'Oh crap, what was I doing?!'_

_The Fire Spirit Princess got up and said, "Whew, I haven't had a battle like that in a while. Not a grand as I hoped but it was good nevertheless. And look, you're still alive and kicking so no harm done right?"_

_Alkan was panting since all those constant attacks took a toll on him. The Fire Spirit Princess straightened out her dress and went over to Alkan saying, "So now that you've proven yourself to me let's make a contract. I heard about your situation and making a contract with me will help restore your fire powers, right Elementalist Alkan?"_

_Alkan raised an eyebrow at that but said, "Ugh, why not, I don't have the energy to train anymore anyway."_

***

Present time

Ayano was amazed hearing Alkan's story. Alkan said, "As I mentioned before you two are alike, in fighting prowess anyway. Not to mention in beauty too." Ayano felt flattered that she was told that she was like the Fire Spirit Princess. This made her blush a bit as she said, "That's too much Alkan."

"I'm dead serious." Alkan said. Halfway into the story they started to go deeper in to cavern because standing around made them cold. Before Ayano could say something Alkan said, "I can feel it. We're close to the main cavern."

The temperature started to drop the further in they got. Ayano looked down and saw that frost started to build up at the tips of her feet. She looked at Alkan and saw the frost gathering at the edges of his coat near his feet. Ayano shivered and that's when Alkan said, "Look, there's the main cavern."

When they entered Ayano couldn't help but see how beautiful the cavern looked. The icicles lining the walls, ceiling, and even parts of the floor were glittering as they gave off their unnatural glow, strong enough to light the cavern easily. But what amazed her most of all was what looked like ice flowers, something that immediately registered as unnatural. Alkan looked around and said, "Can you feel that Ayano?"

She looked around and said, "Yeah, that's the energy of a youma isn't it?"

"Not exactly," He called out in the cavern, "We know you're here, so show yourself!"

There was an eerie giggling that made Ayano's skin crawl. Then they heard a voice say, "Ooh, looks like I have company…" Suddenly there was a flash of blue light and in the middle of the cavern, a woman in blue appeared. Taking a closer look they saw that she had black hair and red eyes, something that didn't seem to match her surroundings. The woman seemed to look a bit older than Ayano but they knew better.

The woman licked her lips and said, "Yum, you boy look absolutely delicious. Why don't you come over and let me show you something nice." Alkan smirked at her flirting attempt while the woman noticed Ayano and said, "Ugh, little girls should take a hike. You don't look that appealing to me anyway."

That comment set Ayano off as she materialized Enraiha and charged at the woman, shouting, "Why you!" Alkan shouted, "Ayano wait!"

Ayano didn't have time to stop as the woman raised her hand, and Ayano bounced off a wall of ice that materialized. Alkan took a look and saw that the ice looked tainted for some reason. Ayano got up and she was about to go at the woman again when Alkan stopped her, "Hold on a minute Ayano."

Ayano shouted, "What do you mean wait?! I'm gonna make that witch burn!"

"I said hold on!" Alkan told her, with a bit more force in her voice. This made her calm down a bit as Alkan asked, "What the heck are you?"

The woman replied, "Now that's no way to ask a lady now is it? Anyway I'm an ice demon, they call me the ice queen Talia."

"More like the ice bitch!" Ayano shouted as she made another charge with Enraiha. Talia laughed and she raised another ice barrier. Enraiha connected with the barrier and it started to melt a bit, but not before sharp icicles shot out forcing Ayano to back away and use Enraiha to swipe away the icicle shots.

Talia looked at her and taunted, "Poor Enjutsushi, she too weak for my taste. Just a brat I suppose." Ayano was really starting to get angry that the flame on Enraiha glowed to a dark red. She shouted, "That's it! You are going down!" Ayano charged at Talia and she raised her ice barrier again. To her surprise however, the barrier instantly melted and Talia was forced to back away as Ayano came after her with her powered Enraiha. As Ayano went after Talia some of the nearby icicles melted a bit due to Enraiha's flame. Talia said, "Oops, I didn't think you'd have this much power. I guess I'll just have to go all out on you!"

Ayano couldn't believe what she was seeing as a fury of icicles came shooting towards her from Talia's hand. She was forced to block most of them, but one of them nicked her in the leg as she was dodging. Ayano winced as she fell to one knee while clutching her leg with one hand. Talia laughed and said, "Aw, tired already? Now that's just boring." She walked towards Ayano creating a sword out of ice and said, "I guess this is it for you."

Talia raised her sword and Ayano tried to raise Enraiha but to her shock the blade was encased in ice pinned to the ground. She didn't have time to rematerialize it as Talia looked at her and said, "Bye bye girlie."

"Hold on a minute." Alkan said out of the blue.

The two looked at him and the both felt a heat wave come from him. When Alkan approached they saw that his eyes were faintly glowing ruby red with a lock of his hair now a matching red. Talia's eyes widened she said, "A contractor huh? I guess the rumors were true after all."

Alkan defrosted Enraiha as Ayano got up on her feet. She asked angrily, "Where the heck were you Alkan?!"

"Chill Ayano, I was just drawing out the contract of the Fire Princess. Well, it looked like you had everything under control Ayano and I really didn't want to get between the two of you, since your power went into overdrive a moment ago." Alkan told her.

Ayano couldn't help but think he sounded like Kazuma but shook it off. Alkan fired a few fireballs at Talia as he said, "Hey, you want to hear what I have in mind Ayano?"

Talia dodged or canceled all the shots as Ayano enflamed Enraiha and replied, "Sure, what's the plan?"

"I strip her down, and you deal the finishing blow. Does that sound good?" Alkan told her.

"Gotcha!" Ayano said, not fazed by how Alkan phrased the plan. Alkan smirked as he kick started his plan into action with a number of fireballs. Talia raised an ice barrier to stop them and when it fell, she saw what looked like two fire whips come out of Alkan's hands. He said, "Time for your whipping girl!"

"As if!" Talia said as whipped out her ice blades. She didn't have a chance as Alkan attacked her mercilessly. Her blades instantly melted and all the barriers and icicles she put up and shot just melted instantly from Alkan's fire whips. Now he shot a whip strike directly at Talia that sent her crashing to a nearby wall devoid of icicles. She tried to get up but found Ayano in front of her as she stabbed Enraiha into her abdomen. All Talia could say was, "Dammit…" before she burned up into nothing.

With that over Ayano dematerialized Enraiha as Alkan's contract dissipated. At that instant Alkan sat down on the ground looking exhausted. Ayano went over to his side and asked, "Are you alright Alkan?"

"I'm fine Ayano, just tired." He looked around and said, "This place sure ain't pretty anymore." Ayano looked around and saw how various places were partially melted or blown up. She agreed, "Yeah, it's too bad though." That was when Ayano noticed something and pointed to one of the ice walls, "Hey, what's that?"

Ayano helped Alkan up as they went over to the wall. Inside it they saw a girl that looked like Talia, but she had blue hair. She was dressed in the same way that Talia was and she looked like she was sleeping. Alkan had a thought and knocked on the ice asking, "Hey, are you alright?"

"Alkan what are you doing?" Ayano asked, but Alkan shushed her and whispered, "Hold on a minute." That was when the ice wall started glowing and suddenly shattered, releasing the girl inside. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around saying, "Hmm…were you the ones that got rid of that imposter?"

"Imposter?" Ayano asked. The girl nodded and said, "My name's Talia, and that demon came here and sealed me in that ice wall as she took over. She stole my identity and started draining my powers."

"We understand. We got rid of the demon but unfortunately, the place didn't make it out unscathed." Alkan said when suddenly, the tunnel they came in from collapsed. Ayano freaked and said, "Ah, what happened?"

Alkan took a look at the structure and replied, "Ugh, it looked like the tunnel was supported by the ice. When it melted it must've weakened the structure."

Talia suggested, "Excuse me, but there is another way out." This got their attention as she said, "A while ago someone else, a man I think, came here through that tunnel." She pointed to another tunnel that was on the other side of the cavern, "I tried approaching him but he fled in fear. I think it leads back to the surface."

This made Alkan wonder as Ayano said, "Thank you very much." As Ayano walked away to the tunnel Talia held out her hand and what looked like a sapphire gem with a glowing core and said, "Here, this is my thanks for defeating that demon. Use that to call me and I'll come and help you." Alkan took the gem and said, "Thank you very much Talia."

With that he bowed and Ayano shouted, "Hey Alkan, are you coming or what?" Alkan shouted back, "I am, just wait a moment." Alkan bowed and left. Talia looked around seeing the ravaged cave and said, "Now this just won't do." She waved her hands and the place slowly restored itself to it's previous state.

Alkan managed to catch up to Ayano as he pocketed the Sapphire as Ayano said, "Hey Alkan, do you think this leads to-?"

"Seiryo Academy? Probably, since Chisato's story and Talia's story seem to match up. Well, let's just go forward and find out." Alkan said as they walked forward, with Alkan stumbling a bit. He said, "That was good work out there Ayano. In a couple of years you're going to be one hell of an Enjutsushi."

"Thanks Alkan, now if only Kazuma would only see that." Ayano said. Alkan smirked and told her, "I'm sure he does. Unlike me, he doesn't come out with the straight truth most of the time. I wonder where he got that from though…"

Ayano wondered what he meant as they continued walking. Eventually the ice cavern slowly returned to rock and Ayano had to light a fireball just to see where they were going. Soon the tunnel turned into a manmade one that looked very old. They saw a flight of stairs that led to a trapdoor and Alkan said, "Let's see here…" To his surprise the door opened when he pushed it.

The two walked into a large room filed with various things as Ayano said, "This is Seiryo's basement. It looks like that seventh mystery is real after all. Just like the monster cherry tree huh?" Alkan closed the door as he said, "Let's get out of here first."

They walked to the entrance and to Ayano's surprise Alkan picked the lock and he explained, "You pick up a few things when you travel around a lot."

The door was unlocked and before Alkan opened it he asked, "Just to be safe, is anyone supposed to be here today?"

Ayano shook her head and replied, "No, the school should be empty." Alkan said, "Good, 'cause I don't want to know what will happen if someone caught us coming out of the basement." Ayano blushed a bit at the implication as the door opened. Ayano thought, 'He's like Kazuma, but at the same time, he's different.' She followed him out the door as they made their way out of the school and back to the Kannagi mansion.


	10. Prince and Pauper

Chapter 10 – Prince and pauper

A day later Alkan was busy talking with Kazuma about Ayano while having coffee in a café. Alkan asked, "So, what do you think about Ayano in terms of ability?"

"Hmm, all I can say is that she has potential to become stronger. Give it a few years and she may be able to match us." Kazuma said. Alkan added, "She'll need to learn a number of strategies too. He fighting style's good but it's a bit simple for my taste."

"That Alkan, we can agree on." Kazuma said. Both of the smirked at the thought as they drunk their coffee. Meanwhile at Seiryo Academy, Ayano sneezed out of the blue during one of her classes. She was a bit puzzled by the sudden action and wondered if someone was talking about her.

After they talked Alkan and Kazuma parted ways with each other. Kazuma told him that he and Ayano were on another job together and he complained about the cold weather. Alkan didn't mind it so much since he preferred cooler temperatures over the hotter ones. The last thing he said to Kazuma was, "Well, good luck on that job Kazuma."

Alkan spent the day roaming around Tokyo. He went to Akihabara to check out what was out and to get a few Japanese-only products. Then he did a little sightseeing, checking out various places that were said to be good places.

Now it was around sunset and Alkan felt exhausted. He was thankful that his body was in good condition, even though he activated his contracts within a few days of each other. Normally he would be bedridden for a few days for each contract activated, since he felt like that the first time he activated each of them, but figured that his powers were stabilizing over time. Alkan sighed and thought, 'Now what to do now?'

In the end, Alkan just wandered around the neighborhoods for a bit trying to remember the layout. It was nighttime now and he felt tired walking around all day. As he was walking he heard a girl's singing coming from somewhere. It sounded quite beautiful and so he followed the song to a playground nearby.

Alkan was about to enter when he saw Ren standing there looking at the girl singing like he was in a trance. He laughed to himself understanding the situation; it looked like a love at first sight type of scene. When the girl snapped Ren out of it he decided to show himself, so he walked up to them shouting, "Hey Ren!"

The girl looked scared at first but Ren assured her, "Don't worry, he's a friend of mine." Ren turned to Alkan saying, "Alkan-san, what are you doing here?"

"I was just wandering around a bit." Alkan turned to the girl and asked, "So, who's your friend here?"

Ren didn't know the girl's name so she introduced herself to them, "Um, my name's Ayumi, and it's nice to meet you." Ren turned to her saying, "My name's Ren, Ayumi-chan." Alkan was the last to say, "And I'm Alkan, it's nice to meet you."

'Alkan? That name sounds familiar…' Ayumi thought to herself. She brushed the though aside as she said, "Do you want to play Ren?" Ren was stunned that he couldn't say anything. Alkan smiled to himself as Ayumi said, "That's a no then?"

Ren snapped out of it as he said, "Oh, I mean, y-yes! S-sure I can, let's play!" Ayumi seemed happy as Alkan told them, "I'll watch you guys from there." He pointed to the benches. As he walked over he said out loud, "The moon sure is beautiful tonight." Both Ayumi and Ren looked at each other agreeing with Alkan's words as the two went off to play.

As Alkan watched Ayumi and Ren he couldn't help but remember the past. As memories came back Alkan watched as Ren gave Ayumi his coat to keep her warm. Alkan smirked as he thought, 'Those two sure are brothers. I'm quite positive that Ren's going to be quite popular with the ladies when he get's older.'

A yawn came out of Alkan as he watched the two head for the swings. That's when he had a strange feeling in his gut when he looked at Ayumi. He couldn't figure out what the heck it was about but the feeling told him to be on guard. Alkan figured Ayumi was harmless and that Ren was alright, but he sharpened his senses just in case.

That was when he heard a whisper that said, "Excuse me Alkan-sama." He looked over and saw Tierria by his shoulder. Alkan said, "You…you're that Fairy Gnome, Tierria right?"

"I'm glad you remember me Alkan-sama!" Tierria said happily. Alkan looked up and saw that Ren and Ayumi were having too much fun to notice anything. He said, "Stay behind me alright?"

"Sure thing." Tierria flew behind the bench so she wouldn't be seen. Thankfully the bushes behind Alkan were tall enough that no one would notice. Then Alkan asked, "So, is there a problem Tierria?"

"Yes, well…" Tierria sounded unsure of herself which made Alkan wonder what she wanted to say, "Actually, the elders sent me to ask you something."

Tierria fell silent and Alkan pressed her, "Okay…so what is it?"

At this part Tierria was nervous and she stuttered, "T-the elder-rs want you to k-kill the Behemoth!" Alkan coughed a bit at that shocking news. Ren and Ayumi looked at him and he assured them that he was fine. Then he whispered, "What?! Why? Anyone should know that's something one shouldn't ask lightly!"

Tierria flinched at the sound of Alkan's voice and explained, "You see, even though the Behemoth stays sealed under Mt. Fuji, it's influence has started to leak recently. The elders believe that the seal that the humans known as the Tsuwabuki use on it has started to become ineffective. They've also heard about your 'exploits' on a matter similar to this from the other spirits and think you're able to do it."

Alkan had a lot to think about after Tierria had finished her explaination. Even as an Elementalist with the Spirit Princess contracts, taking down something as powerful as the Behemoth would be extremely difficult. By himself there was a 50/50 chance of dying trying to take on a youma like that. Even if he had Kazuma by his side, the odds weren't much better anyway.

Before Alkan could say something he saw Ren and Ayumi approaching the benches. He whispered to Tierria, "Get out of here, I'll tell you my answer later!"

All he heard was a simple pop and when Alkan looked, Tierria was gone. Ren saw Alkan looking around the bench and asked, "Is something wrong Alkan?"

"No, everything's fine." Alkan told him smoothly as he turned his head to them. The two sat down on the bench next to his as Alkan asked, "So, you two have a good time?" He laughed mentally, since he sounded like a parent just now.

"Yes, it was fun playing with Ren!" Ayumi told him. Ren turned red and said, "Uh, really?" Ayumi nodded happily, "It was fun playing with you Ren."

Ren had a smile on his face as he suggested, "Well, if you don't mind, I can hang out with you anytime." At that Ayumi was happy but then her face faltered and she said, "Oh, thank you Ren, but…"

Alkan wondered what was with Ayumi when he suddenly felt something. He put his hood on so his face was hard to see, and then he jumped up behind the bench as a van suddenly screeched in. Then a bunch of men in suits came rushing out of the van and made their way to where Ren and Ayumi were. One of them brushed Ren aside roughly while another grabbed Ayumi and pinned her down on the ground in the same manner. One of them tried to go after Alkan, but he dodged the attempt and made his way over to Ren.

When Alkan reached Ren he got down and asked, "Are you alright?"

Ren picked himself up and said, "I'm fine." When he saw Ayumi pinned on the ground he shouted, "Ayumi-chan!" One of the men said, "We captured the target. We'll transfer it right away." Alkan thought, 'It?'

Alkan was trying to figure out what the heck was going on when Ren suddenly jumped and knee kicked one of the men on the head. Before any of them could react Ren kicked the guy pinning Ayumi off of her and he grabbed her saying, "Ayumi-chan!" The two started to run but one of the men fired a shot from his gun.

As Alkan walked up to Ren and Ayumi the man said, "Sorry to ruin your hero moment, but we're not doing this for fun either!" That was when Ayumi said, "Ren, Alkan-san, please get out of here! They're serious about this!"

Alkan saw Ren let go of Ayumi's hand and he said, "Then I guess there's no need for me to hold back!" Ren gathered fire spirits and raised his hand to the man holding the gun. At that instant the connection between the gun and silencer melted, causing the silencer to fall to the ground. The man was surprised by this as he said, "What the?! Y-you're an Enjutsushi?!"

That was when Ren declared, "My name is Ren Kannagi!" This stumped Ayumi and the men in suits, as Alkan had a smile on his face wondering what was next. Ren continued, "If you know what that name means, leave here right now!"

The man that held the gun smiled and said, "Who would've thought that we'd get to meet a member of the Kannagi in this place. In that case, we should introduce ourselves as well." The man declared, "We've been sent by the Tsuwabuki family!"

Alkan's eyes narrowed at that while Ren was surprised saying, "Tsuwabuki?!" The man told them, "I'm sure you're very aware that your recent actions could create a serious conflict between our families. It seems that you're misunderstanding the situation, but that thing was the property of the Tsuwabuki to begin with."

At that Ren was disgusted by how they were referring to Ayumi as. Alkan too had a look of disgust on his face as the anger inside of him grew. He saw that Ren was trying to figure out a way to get out of this and decide to intervene. When Ren closed his eyes trying to think Alkan put his hand on his shoulder and Ren said, "Alkan-san…"

"You don't mind if you let me handle this for a bit, Ren?" Alkan asked. Ren looked relieved as he said, "Please do."

Alkan took off his hood revealing his face and addressed them, "Tch, you people disgust me, calling someone a thing." He raised his hand and brought it down, sending a blast of wind at one of the men, sending them flying. Ayumi and the men were shocked at the display. One of them shouted, "Fujutsushi?! Are you Kazuma Yagami?!"

Alkan, and even Ren laughed at the accusation as he sent a water blast at one of them, then raising a few shaking pillars making some trip, and lastly a fireball that knocked the wind out of another. The one that had the gun was the only one standing as he said, "What the?! Wait, it can't be…?!"

The men got up and tried to attack them as the man tried to stop them. Alkan was ready for another round when a wall of fire appeared between them, stopping the attackers. Alkan turned around and saw that Ren was the one that put up the firewall. He looked serious as he said, "You have two choices. Either you get out of our sight right now or get eliminated by the two of us."

A smile appeared on Alkan's face as he said, "Oh, if you men are going to leave, which I highly think you will, tell the Tsuwabuki this: Alkan Hosenkou will come after them if something like this happens again!"

Both Ayumi and the man were stunned, finding out about Alkan full name. The man spat and both he and the other men got up and ran back to the van saying, "Tch, y-you're gonna pay for this! Retreat!" The three watched as the men retreated back to the van and shortly after, it drove off quickly. After they were gone Alkan sighed and said, "Are you two alright?"

Ren said, "I'm fine Alkan-san." Alkan told him, "Great save Ren, I'm sure Kazuma would have been proud of that moment."

As Ren smiled at the complement Ayumi went up to Ren and said, "Ren…so you're a member of the Kannagi family." Ren replied, "S-sorry, I've must've scared you just now." Ayumi shook her head as she addressed Alkan, "And you're Alkan Simure Hosenkou, the Elementalist." Alkan just nodded as he sighed.

Then Ayumi asked, "But…was that the right thing to do, you two?" Ren was the one to answer that replying, "It'd be pointless to have this kind of power if I couldn't help a girl from trouble, you know? Right Alkan?"

"I couldn't have said it better myself Ren." Alkan told him smugly. Ayumi smiled and said, "Thank you," Then her expression faltered a bit and she said, "Ren…please, will you do me one more favor?"

"Ayumi-chan…" Ren said. He thought about it before he nodded, and turned to Alkan asking, "Alkan-san, will you please be our bodyguard?"

Alkan was surprised by the request and he sighed. He gave a small smile saying, "Okay, just tell your father to pay me for this when it's all said and done." Ren was happy that he accepted that he didn't mind if he demanded payment. Alkan held out his hand and said, "Lead the way you two."

Later Alkan was following the two through the city as Ren and Ayumi held hands. Alkan couldn't help but think that the two looked quite cute together, since he found it kinda funny how this looked like some kind of elopement. Then he turned his thoughts to the deal that Tierria told him. He wondered just how on earth he would pull it off if he accepted, to get to the Behemoth he would have to go through the Tsuwabuki to do it. If he did that he would definitely not have enough strength to destroy the Behemoth, much less hurt it.

'I might have to call in Kazuma for this. He kept going on about how he wanted to utterly destroy the Tsuwabuki back in the past, maybe he'll take the job for a nice price.' Alkan thought to himself. Suddenly Tierria's voice was in his head saying, 'Alkan-sama, Alkan-sama!'

Alkan looked around slightly as he thought, 'Hmm? Tierria, where are you?'

'I'm flying overhead, and don't worry, regular humans can't see us unless we reveal ourselves to them.' Alkan looked up a bit and true enough, he saw a ball of golden light above, and yet no one seemed to notice. Tierria asked him, 'So Alkan-sama, do you have an answer?'

Alkan was quiet for a moment trying to reach a decision. He made a turn as he saw that Ren and Ayumi were heading for the nearest train station. Alkan answered, 'Ugh, I'm probably gonna regret this but, I'll take the job Tierria.'

From the sound of Tierria's voice she sounded quite happy as she said, 'Oh, thank you very much Alkan-sama! I'm sure the elders are going to be quite please with this!' Alkan looked up and saw the golden ball fly off into the sky pretty quickly. That's when Cui-Ling's voice came up and said, 'Are you sure about this Alkan?'

Alkan nearly jumped at the sound of her voice. Instead he quickened his pace so that he was closer to the two. He thought, 'I don't know, the last time I accepted the job like this one I wasn't able to move for a week. But you know what a Taisai is right?'

Cui-Ling replied, 'Yes, I do.' Alkan told her, 'That monster needs to be destroyed. The Tsuwabuki think that the Taisai ritual is the right thing to do. I think differently due to what I think about seals in general: that they are temporary solutions, not permanent ones.'

'I understand. Let's just hope that this one goes better this time around.' Cui-Ling told him. Alkan laughed mentally and said, 'Don't hold your breath Cui-Ling, considering how strong that spawn was, the real thing is crazy strong.'

***

At the Kannagi residence Ayano and Jugo were going over the situation. They got a call from the Tsuwabuki that Ren and Alkan had committed a robbery, that they stole a treasure. Honestly they couldn't believe that the two would do such a thing. Ren was unreachable and Jugo tried calling Alkan but found that his cellphone must be off, since the calls weren't connecting. Ayano said, "There's just no way those two would do something like this. Alkan's loaded from what I hear and Ren isn't like that."

"I know Ayano," Jugo told her, "But the Tsuwabuki clam that Ren and Alkan robbed their treasure from them and escaped. They also mentioned that in the worst case scenario, they'd have to kill Ren and that we have to understand the circumstances."

"Alkan wouldn't let that happen, if he did, the Kannagi and Kazuma would be after his skin." Ayano told him. Jugo agreed saying, "I know, let's just hope he can handle the situation until we can find them. I've already asked Detective Tachibana to look for them."

"That woman?" Ayano asked with a hint of distaste.

"Is there a problem?" Jugo asked her.

Ayano looked away as she mumbled, "Not really…" Jugo then said seriously, "Ayano, I need you to be ready. As soon we get their location I need you to head out."

"I understand." Ayano got up and was about to leave when Jugo asked, "Are you sure you couldn't get in contact with Kazuma?"

Ayano told him, "I've already told you this, if you can't reach him then I definitely can't!" Jugo pressed on, "But the two of you were working together earlier…" Ayano looked annoyed and told him, "I don't know! I left right after the work was finished!" Ayano was about leave when Jugo asked, "But don't you have a way to contact him for emergency or private purposes?" Ayano spat out, "I don't know!" and slammed the door shut. Jugo sighed as Ayano murmured, "How am I supposed to know where he is?!"

***

Kazuma was busy staking out the Tsuwabuki estate. He was told the details of what he was supposed to do by Tiana and now he was trying to figure out what's going on. He was surprised to hear that Alkan was somehow involved in this, and before he could get anymore Kureha somehow found out that he was there and brought him down.

Eventually Kazuma managed to get out of it after a bit of acting using Tiana and was now looking over Mt. Fuji from a distance. Kazuma was starting to relish the fact that he had the chance to destroy the Tsuwabuki. Since Alkan was involved he figured that this just got a lot more interesting. As Kazuma was laughing Tiana asked, "Hey, who's Alkan?"

Kazuma looked at Tiana with a raised eyebrow and asked, "You don't remember? He was the other guy with us back when we met." Tiana tried hard to remember until she said, "Oh yeah that guy, he has the power of wind too right?"

"He's an Elementalist, for a proper term." Kazuma told her. Tiana just looked like she was hit on the head by a hammer as she looked on to Mt. Fuji.

Meanwhile Ren, Ayumi, and Alkan were at the train station getting their tickets. The man at the booth wondered about Ren and Ayumi, but when Alkan came up and told him that they were with him. The man nodded and gave Alkan three tickets as he paid for them, giving a comment that Alkan should take care of his brother and sister.

Ren and Ayumi looked at each other as Alkan laughed and humored the man. Now they were waiting for train heading for an urban part of the city near a beach. Apparently Ayumi asked Ren to take her there so that she could see it. Alkan had watched Ayumi's behavior from the time back at the park and he wondered, 'How the heck did the Tsuwabuki treat this girl? It sounds like she's some kind of low-class servant, but that contradicts what the man said, about her being a treasure.'

He saw that Ren was looking around and Alkan told him, "Don't worry Ren, we weren't followed. I'm quite sure about that."

As Ayumi went up to Ren and the two started talking Alkan leaned on the wall and thought, 'Damn, I managed to come up with a plan but there are certain parts of it that I don't like, but to get to the Behemoth without plowing thought the Tsuwabuki I'll have to do this. Ren might hate me at first for this but it's the only way.'

Alkan looked on as Ren and Ayumi talked together. Alkan felt really guilty but promised himself that he would make it up to Ren, no matter what the cost.

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Note: I just want to say, please tell me if there's a problem with the story. There hasn't been many reviews so I've been just writing what I think. Thanks to Mephiles666 for reviewing, since it made me review Alkan's character again. Let's just say I haven't shown all of Alkan, since more of him will be revealed in later chapters.


	11. Truth then Resolve

Chapter 11 – Truth then Resolve

Ren and Ayumi were sitting together on the train with Alkan on the other side listening to his iPod. He was recalling the little incident on the platform before the train came by. Alkan found it quite funny to see Ren all flustered as Ayumi clung to him, saying that she was keeping him warm by doing that. Alkan's thoughts on that were, 'Aww, the taste of innocence…'

However Alkan was wondering what the heck Ayumi meant when he caught her say, "I wanted to see something beautiful with my own eyes one last time." Alkan kept on thinking about it when suddenly, a horrid thought came to him, 'No, it can't be…!'

Alkan shook his head, trying to get rid of that thought from his mind. He didn't want to admit it, but the Tsuwabuki's actions made sense, in the way how they referred and treated Ayumi. He's heard about the family's arrogance and pride, among other things, and had a very good idea on how they treated other people they only think as tools. He took out an earphone from his left ear just in time to hear Ayumi say, "Ren, I'll go back to the Tsuwabuki once I look at the sea."

Both Ren and Alkan were surprised at that statement as Ren argued, "What are you talking about? They treat you like an object back there Ayumi-chan! What would you do, once you go back to that place?"

Alkan watched as Ayumi smiled weakly and replied, "But still, that's the only place where I can be, so…" Ren was perplexed by her response while Alkan's eyes narrowed, he sighed as Ren said, "Ayumi-chan…"

Alkan chose that moment to ask Ayumi, "Ayumi, are you the main one for 'that'?"

Ren didn't have a clue what Alkan was talking about, while Ayumi realized what Alkan was talking about. She just gave a nod which made Alkan hiss in disgust. Ren asked, "Is something wrong Alkan-san?"

"No, it's alright Ren. Nothing serious." Alkan lied. 'If Ren found out he'll fight to protect Ayumi to the death.' Alkan thought to himself. That was when the train started to slow down and a moment later, stopped at the station they were traveling to.

The three of them walked out and Alkan said, "I need to check up on something, so you two go on ahead. Don't worry; I'll be able to find you two." He walked away leaving Ren and Ayumi by themselves.

In truth he was going to trail them while using the wind to make himself invisible. That way he could be on the lookout for any threats and giving the two some time alone together. Alkan smirked and thought, 'Those two look like they're on a date.'

'Oh, that's nice.' Cui-Ling's voice suddenly said.

Alkan nearly had a heart attack and almost lost his focus on the wind barrier as he thought, 'Geez, you sure know how to shock a guy Cui-Ling.'

'I know, it sure worked well with you and Kazuma, didn't it?' Cui-Ling told him. Alkan sighed and thought, 'Whatever, I need to keep a lookout for a bit.'

'Whatever suits you Alkan.' Cui-Ling told him before she went silent. Alkan gave another shrug as he started following Ren and Ayumi. That was when an earthquake shook through the area and Alkan thought, 'Tch, they're getting worse and more frequent.'

As he started walking Alkan went over the plan in his head, 'Okay, first is when the Tsuwabuki come back for Ayumi. As much as I don't want to hand her back, I'll have to in order for this plan to work. Ren will probably hate me for a while but I can deal with that. After that I wait until the ceremony takes place and, hopefully, knockout most of the main Tsuwabuki members and get Ayumi out of the way. Then release the behemoth and hopefully defeat it. Argh, why did I have to accept that offer?!'

'Maybe it's because you're a nice person?' Cui-Ling pointed out.

'Not helping Cui!' Alkan thought. That's when Alkan watched Ren buy Ayumi a steamed bun and the two of them sat down to eat. Alkan leaned on a nearby tree and listened in on their conversation. He decided to put the thought on the plan on hold for now as he sighed and took out a box of chocolate pocky and started eating it quietly.

As he watched Ayumi revealed to Ren that she was going to be the priestess for the Tsuwabuki's Taisai ceremony. Predictably, Ren was shocked by that as he demanded, "Why? Why you?"

"It's something that I have to do." Ayumi told him. Ren argued, "But it doesn't have to be you!" Alkan gave a silent sigh as he thought, 'She makes it sound like she was only born to be a sacrifice.'

"When you say ugly things, your heart becomes ugly too." Was what Alkan heard Ayumi say. He found that sentence quite interesting, since Alkan wasn't expecting Ayumi to say something like that. It was wise, yet innocent in his opinion. That also seemed to calm Ren down as he said, "I'm sorry."

Ayumi shook her head as she said, "Thank you Ren. You made me very happy, taking me out here. Alkan-san too, as no one has ever treated me this nicely before." Alkan raised an eyebrow at this as Ren said, "But for the Tsuwabuki you would still-!"

"This has nothing to do with the Tsuwabuki, Ren." Ayumi said. This surprised Ren and made Alkan curious as he thought, 'Really now…?'

"I'll do it simply because this is something I have to do." Ayumi told him, "If the beast is unleashed, Mt. Fuji will erupt. If that happens, it's going to be a disaster." Alkan understood that, since a surprise eruption would cause horrendous casualties and damages. Ayumi continued, "If I can save many lives by doing this, my death won't be meaningless."

'Geez, her heart's in the right place but…' Alkan thought as Ren said softly, "Ayumi-chan…" Ayumi looked up into the sky and said, "My prayers will melt into the mountain and watch over this country forever. Isn't that a wonderful thing?"

All Ren could do was look at her as Ayumi said, "But I wanted to make some memories before I do that. Not fake ones, but real memories." Alkan thought to himself, 'What the heck does she mean by that?!'

"I don't have any memories." Ayumi said. Alkan's confusion increased while Ren was about to ask her something when she told him, "I'm not an amnesiac or anything like that; I just don't have memories themselves."

Now this threw Alkan in a loop of confusion as well as Ren, with Ayumi telling Ren, "Supposedly someone else's memories have been planted into my mind." Ren was puzzled as he asked, "Someone else's memories?"

Ayumi nodded and said, "That's why I wanted to make my own true memories by seeing things with my own eyes one last time." That's when she looked like she was starting to reminisce as she said, "The sky, the stars, and the moon… They're actually much more beautiful in reality than in those memories. I'm sure the sea's very beautiful too."

That was when Alkan saw a look of resolve on Ren's face as he said, "Ayumi-chan."

"Yes?" Ayumi answered. Ren declared, "I will protect you, Ayumi-chan!" Ayumi looked surprised at that as Ren went on, "Don't give up Ayumi-chan! Don't tell me something sad like you dying is alright! I'll protect you! I promise I'll protect you!"

Alkan nodded to Ren thinking, 'You tell her Ren. Jeez, moments like these show that those two really are related.' Ren went on, "There has to be a way! A way that doesn't involve you dying Ayumi-chan! I'll do anything that I can, so let's go and make more memories together! I'll take you anywhere you want to go!"

Ayumi was really touched with Ren's speech as she said, "You're right… It'd be nice if I could do that…" Ayumi wasn't the only one touched by Ren's speech, as Alkan thought, 'Damn, if Ren keeps going on like that I'm going to start having second thoughts on my plan.'

That's when Ayumi and Ren finished eating and the two started to walk towards the beach. Alkan followed as he thought, 'Sooner or later the Tsuwabuki are going to find them. Not to mention the Kannagi…although I wonder, what the heck is Kazuma doing? If he was helping Jugo with the search he would've found us already.'

When the three reached the beach Alkan stuck close to Ren as Ayumi looked at the ocean and said, "This is the sea?! The real sea?!" Both Ren and Alkan couldn't help but smile at Ayumi's enthusiasm as Ren told her, "It looks even better during the day though."

Ayumi turned to Ren and she smiled saying, "No, this is good enough! Thank you Ren!"

As Ren watched Ayumi run around the beach Ren said to himself, "No one's around, right? Though I have to wonder, where the heck did Alkan-san go?"

"I'm right here." Alkan said suddenly. This made Ren jump and look around in a panic as Alkan said, "I'm right beside you Ren, just invisible, that's all."

Ren took a deep breath as he held his chest saying, "Jeez Alkan-san, don't do that!"

"Yeah, yeah. So Ren, what are you going to do?" Alkan asked. Ren whispered, "I'm going to show Ayumi-chan something like the sun."

"Mind if I add something to that?" Alkan asked him. Ren nodded and that's when Alkan whispered something into Ren's ear. Apparently Ren looked quite pleased with the idea and said, "I'll do that, thanks Alkan-san!"

"No prob, I'll leave the two of you alone for a bit." That's when Ren felt a light breeze and he knew Alkan just left. He called out to Ayumi and said, "Ayumi-chan, here it goes!"

"Huh?" Was all Ayumi could say before Ren focused his power and created a bright light with fire that made it look like the sun. Ayumi was excited by the sight and asked, "Did you do that Ren?"

Ren nodded as he said, "I can't make it look like the sun in the daytime though." Ayumi turned back and looked at the sight saying, "This is amazing! I've never seen such a beautiful thing before!"

As the light died Ren said, "There's something else I want to show you Ayumi-chan!" Ayumi looked at him wondering what he was up to as Ren put more concentration into his power and Ayumi heard bang noises. She turned to see flames exploding that made it look like a fireworks display. Ayumi was astounded at the sight as Ren said, "This is something that can be done at night. The real thing is called a fireworks display and it's done during celebrations and the like."

"It's so beautiful Ren!" Ayumi shouted. Ren smiled and thought, 'Thank you for the idea Alkan-san…' The display faded as Ayumi was greatly touched by the sights. Tears started to fall from her eyes as Ren called out to her, "Ayumi-chan?"

"I'm really glad to be alive… I'm glad I got to meet you Ren… I even got to see such beautiful things like that…I'm really happy right now." Ayumi told him. Little did they know their happiness was about to end.

Meanwhile Alkan was busy taking out most of the people that worked for the Tsuwabuki. There were several vans that had accompanied a car that Alkan saw had Mayumi Tsuwabuki and her attendant Yuji in it. He decided to let her go since he needed someone to take Ayumi back to the Tsuwabuki estate. Alkan took out the vans and managed to knock all the occupants unconscious as Alkan muttered, "All this manpower just to confront Ren and Ayumi? Or maybe they were expecting me there?"

That's when he felt something malicious in the wind and felt that it came from the direction of the beach. When he reached the beach he was just in time to see Ren fire a fireball at Mayumi and Yuji. Alkan saw Ayumi looking beaten up and he landed beside Ayumi thinking, 'What the heck is going on here?!'

Mayumi took notice of Alkan's presence and said, "Oh my, so the mighty Elementalist finally shows up." Alkan couldn't help but notice the spite in her voice as they heard Ren shout, "I don't know what's right or wrong here, but I know I can't let people like them take you away!"

Ayumi looked at him as Alkan had a smug look on his face, as Ren shouted, "I made a promise that I'd protect you Ayumi-chan!" Alkan knelt down and helped Ayumi to her feet as he whispered, "You tell them Ren."

Mayumi said, "Protect her? I'll let you handle this Yuji." Yuji nodded and he jumped in front of Ren, prepared to fight. Ayumi whispered, "Aren't you going to help Ren, Alkan-san?"

"No, Ren's strong enough to handle himself. You should really have more faith in him Ayumi. Now, let me clean you up a bit." He took out a cloth and started wiping the dirt off of Ayumi's face. Mayumi looked at him and said, "My, how you can touch something like that is beyond me."

"You know, did I ask for your opinion Tsuwabuki-san? No I didn't, so shut up!" Alkan spat at her. Mayumi was offended by that and said, "How dare, you-!" But Alkan put his hand over Ayumi's shoulder and spat, "I thought I told you to shut up!" The glare Alkan was giving Mayumi made her look away as she had an angry look on her face.

As the three watched the battle Alkan took out a wind charm and slipped it into Ayumi's hand whispering, "Keep this on you, it will repel any malicious intents aimed at you, like that unnecessary beating you had earlier. They can't take it away from you either."

Ayumi pocketed it only whispering, "Thank you Alkan-san." They watched as Ren blasted Yuji with his flame, which engulfed him and sent him falling to the ground. Ren turned to Mayumi asking her, "What would you like to do now?"

Mayumi looked back at him with a bored look as she said, "He asked me what I would like to do, Yuji!" The three turned and saw that Yuji was getting back up saying, "Not yet… it's far from over!" Alkan couldn't help but think, 'Gotta admit, he's pretty tough being able to get up after that.'

As they watched Yuji struggle to get up Ren said, "No way… You're in no condition to fight like that." Yuji looked at Ren and shouted, "I will protect Lady Mayumi, no matter what the cost!" That's when Mayumi suddenly laughed and Alkan thought, 'The heck? Is she starting to lose it or something?'

"Ha…To think that you can love a doll like that…" Mayumi pointed to Ayumi, "You sure have interesting taste." Alkan narrowed his eyes as he wondered where Mayumi was going with this as Ren shouted, "Ayumi-chan is a human! She's not a doll!"

Mayumi laughed even harder as Alkan shouted, "What's so funny Tsuwabuki-san?!" Mayumi turned to Ayumi and said, "Oh no, you haven't told them yet? You're so bad." Ayumi looked down as she pointed to Ayumi once again and said, "Listen boy, this 'Ayumi-chan' that you're trying to protect isn't even human!"

This shook Alkan and Ren off guard as Ren demanded, "Wh-what the heck are you talking about?!"

Mayumi seemed to relish at the sight of Ren's reactions as she told them, "It's true! It's because that thing is my clone!" Ayumi started to tremble as both Alkan and Ren shouted, "Clone?!" Mayumi decided to inform them, "She's physically 12 years old, but it's been only a month since they created her. They just took my memories and planted them in her after some editing."

Alkan thought in his confusion, 'Why does this sound familiar?' Ren couldn't believe that and said, "Th-that's a lie! It's just no possible!"

"It's true." Ayumi said as she looked at Ren with sadness in her eyes, "I am Mayumi-sama's clone. I'm Mayumi-sama's replacement they created as a sacrifice for the Taisai." Ren fell to his knees, that he couldn't believe what he had just heard, and all he could say was, "No way…"

Yuji walked back to Mayumi as she focused her attention to Alkan and she said loudly, so that Ren can hear, "You know I should tell you something Hosenkou-san, even if she wasn't used as a sacrifice, her life span would only be about another month at the most, since she's a clone they slapped together without thinking about long-term use…" That just about devastated Ren, though all Alkan had was an impassive look on his face.

That's when a car came up to them and Ayano came jumping out of it. She shouted, "Ren!" Mayumi turned to her saying, "Hello to you, Princess of the Kannagi."

Ayano noticed the situation between Alkan and Mayumi as she asked, "Who are you people?!"

"I'm Mayumi Tsuwabuki, and he's my attendant Yuji." Mayumi said to her. Ayano whispered, "Tsuwabuki?" That's when she noticed Ren in despair and shouted, "Ren! What the heck did you do to him?!"

"Nothing physically, right Hosenkou-san?" Mayumi said. All Ayano did run over to Ren's side as Mayumi asked, "Now Hosenkou-san, will you please hand that thing over?"

As much Alkan hated the way Mayumi was talking he didn't have much of a choice. This new development had thrown much more then a wrench in his plans and needed time to think about it. He let go of Ayumi's shoulder, but not before whispering, "Life is precious, no matter how it comes into the world."

Ayumi was surprised by that as Mayumi said, "Thank you for understanding Hosenkou-san." With that Ayumi walked over to Mayumi and Mayumi noticed Kirika and said, "Detective Tachibana, I see. You found this place?" Kirika replied, "It's been a while Mayumi-san."

As Yuji brought Ayumi into the car Mayumi said, "Will you tell the Kannagi head family that we have recovered the stolen property safe and sound? We have no intention of accusing the Kannagi of their wrongdoing related to this incident. This also goes for Hosenkou-san as well."

"Understood." Was all Kirika could say. They departed with Mayumi saying, "Well, if you'll excuse us." They got into the car and both Alkan and Kirika watched as they drove off. Kirika said, "But it doesn't look like it's over yet…"

"You can say that again Kirika." Alkan spat out. Kirika turned to him and asked, "So, what really happened?"

"First let me clear something up. Me and Ren didn't steal anything, heck we weren't even near the Tsuwabuki mansion all night. The 'property' they were referring to was that girl, Ayumi." Kirika was shocked by that and Alkan said, "Yeah, I know, they treat her like a thing and have no problems beating her." Alkan sighed and said, "Let's just say there are 'special circumstances' surrounding that girl."

Alkan looked over at Ren, who was still out of it and was being comforted by Ayano. He felt really bad as he accidentally let out, "Ren, that bitch totally devastated him mentally. Kazuma's sure not going to like hearing that. Hell, it might just add one more reason for him to obliterate that family."

All Kirika could do was watch as Alkan gave a yawn and said, "Ugh, it's getting late, I'd better go home. See you later." Before Kirika could say anything Alkan had vanished in a gust of wind. Kirika sighed and said, "Jeez, those two are sure alike, or is it that Kazuma caught on to some of Alkan's habits."

Sometime later Alkan was back in his house and he felt really tired. He decided to be lazy and all he did was take off his cloak, pulled out a blanket, and crashed onto the couch. A few minutes later he had fallen asleep.

***

Alkan had noticed that he was in a dream state and that he was in front of a ramen stand somewhere in Tokyo at night. He looked up and was surprised to see Cui-Ling being the one serving him ramen. She gave him a bowl and said, "You know, it's been a while since something like this happened."

"You mean meeting like this in a dream?" Alkan asked her as he started eating.

"I bet you just went to sleep just like that." Cui-ling said smugly as leaned back on the cart.

"So I got lazy, sue me." Alkan said as he just devoured the entire bowl empty. Cui-ling said, "Jeez, even if it's just a dream, shouldn't you eat a bit more politely?"

"Well, it's not like I'm actually eating anything." Alkan told her as he pushed the bowl away. Cui-ling put the bowl away as she asked, "So, what are you going to do now? The whole Ayumi is a clone thing has really changed things."

"I know, and you know I had thought up of a slightly different plan, but the chance of death would rise to eighty percent." Alkan told her.

"Wasn't that seventy percent?" Cui-Ling asked him. He told her, "Seventy percent instant death, ten percent slow and painful death due to too much power."

"…You're a morbid thing aren't you?" Was all Cui-Ling could say. Alkan smirked and said, "That's the only part of me you haven't beaten out of me."

All Cui-Ling did was shake her head and asked, "So, are you going to go through with it?" Alkan looked at her and said, "Of course, there's no fun involved if there aren't any risks. And I'm sure Kazuma will get himself involved somehow. He always does…" He took a bottle of sake, popped it open and poured himself a glass. Alkan drank it down in one gulp and said, "Hmm, it seems to taste different."

"Maybe it's because you can't remember what sake tastes like? You haven't had any for over a year you know." Cui-Ling told him. Alkan pushed the glass aside as he said, "I guess you're right."

Alkan looked up at the dream moon overhead as he recalled the events that had occurred. He wondered how things had turned out the way they did. One thing after another just seemed to be happening ever since he arrived in Tokyo. He sighed as said, "Well, might as well find Kazuma later and see what he's been up to lately."

"You know, this sounds like that other job you took back then. I recall it nearly killed you too, so you think it will turn out the same?" Cui-ling suddenly brought up.

Alkan laughed and said, "That time I only had to worry about one or two things. This time there are way too many variables running around. Most likely things will turn out worse for me."

That's when he got up and said, "Thanks for the time Cui. Talk to you later." Alkan walked off into the dream night as Cui-Ling watched him walk away.


	12. Showtime

Chapter 12 – Showtime

Alkan was walking around Tokyo for the better part of the afternoon, wondering where Kazuma had disappeared to. When Alkan had gotten up somewhere around eleven, he decided to go to him, much to his disbelief, and ask him for help.

Now he was getting fed up and decided to look for him using the wind. He flew to the highest building in the city and when Alkan was on the roof, he called upon the spirits of the wind to look for Kazuma. He had his eyes closed and did this for a few minutes, until he heard a voice say, "You called Al?"

"I was wondering where you went." Alkan said with a smirk and he opened his eyes and turned around, seeing Kazuma standing there behind him. He saw Tiana beside him which made Alkan raise his eyebrows but he said, "I need your help with something Kazuma."

"Oh, the great Alkan Hosenkou asking for help? That's new." Kazuma teased. Alkan gave him a cold look and said, "Kazuma, I'm being serious here. It involves the Tsuwabuki."

This caught Kazuma's attention and that's when Alkan said, "But first, I think you I should tell you what happened last night." As Alkan told Kazuma the events that happened last night, he watched as Kazuma's reactions went from curious to quite angry, especially at the part where Alkan told him how Mayumi had attacked him mentally. He left out a few parts though, mostly about Ayumi, since he decided to not mention her. Kazuma hissed, "Just one more reason for me to go over there and obliterated them."

Alkan caught his attention saying, "Since you said that, I'm sure you have no problem what I'm about to ask you."

"Oh, and what that might be?" Kazuma asked him. Alkan casually replied, "I need you to keep the Tsuwabuki occupied tonight." Again, Kazuma's curiosity came up, since he knew that what revolved around Alkan was pretty much less than boring. Kazuma asked, "Not that I don't mind, since it was something I was planning anyway, but why would you need the Tsuwabuki occupied?"

"Because, Alkan-sama's going to kill the beast that's sealed under Mt. Fuji. " Tierria said, suddenly popping out from behind Alkan. This surprised both Alkan and Kazuma as Alkan said, "Tierria, where the heck did you come from?!"

"I saw you going around town, so I decided to drop by to see how you were doing. The Elders are getting quite anxious you know." Tierria said to him. Asche replied, "I was just working out the finer details with my friend her before you decided to interrupt."

Kazuma was about to ask Alkan who Tierria was and about what she just said, when Tiana flew out shouting, "Aaaahhh! What the heck is that Fairy Gnome doing here?!"

Tierria turned to Tiana and raised an eyebrow saying, "Oh? It's a Pixie. Wonder what one of them is doing out here." For some reason Tiana took that as a grave insult and said, "I can say the same thing to you Fairy Gnome. I thought you would be underground hibernating or something."

Apparently Tierria was expecting something like that as she said, "Oh, and I thought you would be running all over town pulling pranks on humans all day long. At least we Fairy Gnomes take things more seriously than you Pixies."

"What was that?!" Tiana shouted in anger. She was about to rush over to Tierria and vice-versa when Kazuma grabbed Tiana, while Alkan grabbed Tierria. Both men looked a bit agitated as Kazuma said, "Okay that's enough out of you." Alkan did the same with Tierria but he gave her a glare that silenced her completely. Both guys tossed the two spirits aside as Kazuma said, "A Fairy Gnome huh? When did you meet up with her?"

"I can ask the same about her too." Alkan pointed out, nodding to Tiana. Kazuma just shrugged and decided to change the subject asking, "What's this I hear about you killing the beast of Mt. Fuji?"

Alkan sighed and said, "Long story short, I agreed to something before thinking it through properly." At that Kazuma said, "From what that little Gnome said, you agreed to slay the beast of Mt. Fuji. I'm curious, what are they offering you in return?"

That question Tierria answered saying, "The elders said that Alkan-sama was getting our clan's most prized treasure, the four emerald flowers that were crafted by our tribe. They also said that depending on circumstances, they might add to it since he is risking our lives for our tribe. 'It's a small price to pay if it means ridding the mountain of that beast.' The elders said."

Alkan looked at Tiana and said, "See, at least they're generous." Tiana argued, "But they are two totally different circumstances."

Kazuma shook his head and asked, "So what are you offering for my help Al?" Alkan rolled his eyes saying, "I knew you were going to ask that. Okay, I'll give you whatever the Fairy Gnomes give me, and I'm sure they will, but the emerald flowers stay with me. That alright with you?"

Alkan watched as Kazuma looked at him for a bit seeing him think it over. 'Honestly, I'd think it would be a no brainer here.' Alkan thought to himself. That's when Kazuma looked up at him and said, "Alright, you got yourself a deal. Just make sure you hold up your end."

"Oh I'm sure, right Tierria?" Alkan asked his little friend. Tierria looked like she just sweat-dropped as she said, "Uh, yeah, I'll see what I can do."

"Well then, that's that." Alkan took off saying, "I just need to check on a few things first. I'll see you later Kazuma." Then Alkan flew into the air and promptly vanished, along with Tierria. That's when Tiana said, "Good riddance, she was starting to make things feel stuffy around here."

Kazuma turned to Tiana and asked, "From that little display earlier, I'm guessing that Pixies and Fairy Gnomes don't get along?"

That's when Tiana went on a rant replying, "Those Fairy Gnomes think they're all that, being sophisticated and all. They honestly think we Pixies can't take anything seriously, and that all we do for a living is pull pranks on humans whenever we feel like it."

"…You know, that does sound a lot like a Pixie's nature you know." Kazuma told her. Tiana pouted and said, "We really can be serious when we need to you know."

"Sure…" Kazuma said before he flew off into the sky. Tiana followed him saying, "Hey wait up." That's when the two also vanished into the sky.

* * *

A bit later, Alkan had decided to drop by the Kannagi household to check on Ren secretly. While he was still invisible, Alkan took a look around the premises, until he found Ren looking out at the pond, depressed. He shook his head thinking, 'Man, all that must've messed with his mind a lot more than I thought. Then again, who wouldn't after hearing something like that.'

That's when he saw Ayano come out and approach Ren. He backed a way a bit as Ayano tried to get Ren to snap out of it. When Ren was unresponsive, Ayano shoved Ren into the pond, getting him all wet, and making Alkan stifle a laugh, so he wouldn't get caught. That's when he quietly flew away thinking, 'I think Ayano's got that situation under control, now I need to check up on something.'

Alkan few in the direction of Mt. Fuji and when he got to the mountain, he flew down low and checked the area. Sure enough, there was a number of youma in the area, along with a faint, yet horrid aura that seemed to be changing the earth a bit. He slew the youma that came after him and thought, 'Similar, yet different, huh? It's not that surprising I guess…'

Another youma came after him and Alkan sliced it in half with a wind slash. He quickly flew into the air before any other youma came after him. In the air Alkan looked towards the Tsuwabuki mansion and didn't see any sign of Kazuma, or even Ayano or Ren. He thought, 'I might as well lay low for a while.'

Alkan flew over to a nearby cluster of trees that was close to the Tsuwabuki mansion and watched the place for a bit. That's when Tierria popped up and said, "Why are you just standing around Alkan-sama?"

"I'm waiting for a chance to strike." Alkan replied curtly. He continued to watch the mansion for a while, with only a few earthquakes happening during his wait.

Later on, Alkan sensed someone approaching the mansion and he smiled as he recognized who was heading towards the mansion: Ayano and Ren. He was glad to see that Ren was back to his old self and watched as the two busted through the main gate and fought off the guards, until a golem appeared and blocked their way.

As Alkan watched the battle he had an odd feeling about the golem, and he pondered about it until Tierria said, "Isn't this the opening you've been waiting for Alkan-sama?"

"…Shoot, you're right." Alkan turned to Tierria and said, "You wait here, I need to go inside to check something." Tierria gave a salute and said, "As you command Alkan-sama!" As Alkan used the wind to become invisible and he flew off, he thought, 'Now that was odd.'

As Alkan flew over the mansion he saw that that the golem was sliced apart by wind slashes, and sighed as Kazuma flew down onto the scene. When Alkan flew down into the courtyard he saw the golem start to regenerate itself and thought, 'Better head inside before that thing gets back on it's feet.'

That's when Kazuma decided to expose him by looking at him and shouting, "And where do you think you're going Al?"

Ren and Ayano were confused by what Kazuma said, and Alkan just fumed. He couldn't believe that Kazuma just exposed him just like that. Alkan threw off the wind veil and just appeared in front of them, and he took Kazuma by the coat and said, "What the hell Kazuma?! Didn't you see that I was trying to sneak in?!"

As Alkan let go of Kazuma, he just smirked and said, "Really? I didn't know that…" Alkan just slapped his head while Ren and Ayano just watched, wondering what was going on. That's when Alkan saw Ren and said, "So Ren, you back to normal?"

Ren nodded and said, "Yes, after Nee-sama talked to me." Ayano looked a bit sheepish while Alkan said, "Yes, I'm sure being pushed into the pond was a good wake up call."

"Eh? How do you know about-?" Ren started to say, when suddenly the golem got up to it's feet and said, "You can't defeat me! I will not let you through here!" Alkan raised an eyebrow and thought, 'Isn't that…?' He shook that thought and said, "You know, as much as I like to be here listening to you're bull, I have something I need to do inside that mansion."

The golem just noticed his presence and said, "Oh, so the esteemed Elementalist has showed his face here. No matter, none of you are going to pass here!"

"How arrogant…" Alkan said. Then he heard Ren call out to Kazuma and asked him, "Do you think you wouldn't mind dying if it were to protect me?"

"Ren, how can you ask something like that at a time like this?" Ayano asked him, a bit bewildered. Alkan knew what Kazuma's answer to that would be and predictably, he said, "I don't even have to think what that answer should be!"

Alkan had a grin on his face as Kazuma replied, "Even if I could protect you, it'd be meaningless if I died!" Kazuma turned to Ren and asked, "We all should be happy together, right?"

Ren nodded and said, "Right!" Kazuma noticed a certain look in Ren's eyes and Alkan wondered what Ren was up to when he said, "Nee-sama, let me handle this."

Ayano was shocked and she tried to stop him shouting, "W-wait a minute, Ren!" That's when Alkan put his hand on her shoulder which made her ask, "Alkan?" Alkan just said, "Just trust Ren, if something goes wrong we'll jump in to save him."

What Alkan said made Ayano relax a bit, while Kazuma asked, "Did something happen to him?" Ayano looked at him and shouted, "You're way too late for that conversation!"

"Well, it's not my fault that I don't know what happened." Kazuma told her, "Alkan only told me a vague story of what happened to Ren you know." Ayano turned to Alkan and asked, "Didn't you tell Kazuma about Ayumi?"

Before Alkan could reply, Kazuma asked, "Ayumi? Who's Ayumi?" Ayano couldn't believe what Kazuma just said and shouted, "You didn't tell him?"

Alkan replied, "Hey, I didn't think he needed to know. I mean, talking about Ren's love life isn't something I should be saying to his big brother now, should I?"

That got Kazuma curious and Alkan said, "Look, here's the simple version. Ren's in love with a girl named Ayumi, who's going to be the sacrifice for the Taisai ceremony." Kazuma had an 'oh' on his face while Ayano just rolled her eyes. Suddenly they heard the golem shout, "Enough of this idle talk!"

The three of them turned to see the golem create a mud wave from the ground which was heading towards Ren. He retaliated by firing a blast of fire which pierced through the mud wave and engulfed the golem. However Ren didn't have time to get out of the way of the mud wave, but it wasn't necessary as Kazuma blocked the wave with a wind barrier, while Alkan went forward and pulled Ren back.

As the wind died Alkan asked, "You okay Ren?" Ren nodded and said, "I'm fine, thanks to you and nii-san."

Alkan just smirked as the flame engulfed the golem, and Alkan recognized it as a purification flame. They watched as the golem started to crumble under the flames, and a moment later, the entire body crumbled into dust as the flames died. Alkan heard Ayano say, "How? I couldn't even scratch him with Enraiha!"

"It's because you tried to cut the rock like an idiot." Kazuma replied. Ayano got angry while Alkan and Ren walked up to the golem, which turned back in who Alkan recognized as Yuji, Mayumi's butler. Alkan said, "So, it was him huh?"

"Yes, he said that he turned into that thing for Mayumi-san." Ren told him. Alkan shook his head as he touched the sand that Yuji was lying on. He felt some of the behemoth's power still in the sand and he thought, 'That's weird…'

Then Ayano and Kazuma walked up to Ren and Alkan as Alkan got up. Kazuma said, "Ren, I heard what happened." Ren, still looking at Yuji said, "Nii-sama, I realized what the real enemy is…" He looked towards Mt. Fuji and said, "I realized what it is that I really must defeat!"

Ayano and Kazuma looked towards Mt. Fuji while Alkan had a smug look on his face and thought, 'So Ren figured it out huh?' Then Ayano turned to Ren with a look of shock on her face as she said, "R-Ren? Don't tell me you're-!"

Kazuma turned to Ren also and said, "Now that is interesting! Ren sure comes up with the craziest ideas. You can sure tell he's my younger brother." Alkan sniggered at that before he said to Ren, "I hope that you know what you're doing Ren. Taking on the Behemoth isn't an easy task…"

The three turned to Alkan while Ren said, "The Behemoth?" Suddenly a huge boulder came at them, and the four of them jumped out of the way before the boulder landed. Ayano instantly went on the offensive and fired off a fireball shouting, "Right there!"

The fireball flew towards a woman floating in the air and it suddenly stopped right in front of her, before falling down to the ground like a brick. Alkan raised an eyebrow at that as the woman lowered herself closer to them. She looked at Yuji's fallen form and said, "How pathetic, and after I gave you the same power that I have…"

Kazuma said, "So that explains it." The woman looked at Kazuma and said, "You must be the Fuujutsushi from the other day. Kazuma Yagami." Kazuma shouted back, "I've heard quite the rumors about you, Kureha Tsuwabuki!"

Alkan whispered, "So that's Kureha Tsuwabuki huh?" That's when Kureha noticed Alkan too and said, "My, if it isn't the Elementalist Alkan Hosenkou. It's quite the pleasure to meet one such as yourself."

"I wish I could say the same here, but circumstances say otherwise." Alkan said, "By the way, we noticed that you just used a gravity-controlling technique. I wonder, where did you learn how to do that? Chijutsushi don't have abilities like that…"

Kazuma decided to reply to that and said, "That power belongs to the beast doesn't it?" Kureha smirked and replied, "That's correct. It's in fact, the power of the beast that we've sealed inside Mt. Fuji."

Ren's eyes widened as he said, "Then the reason why Yuji-san's body was transformed into such a form is-!" Kureha told him, "That's right. His body was fused with part of the beast's power." His eyes narrow as his suspicions were confirmed, knowing that the root of all this is the Behemoth.

That's when Kureha taunted them and said, "Now come at me. But I won't be as easy to defeat as Yuji." Alkan couldn't help but say, "She sure is full of herself, isn't she?" He wondered on what to do now as he heard Kazuma ask, "So, what do we do now Ayano?"

Ayano brandished Enraiha in front of her and replied, "You know the answer to that. Let's go and kick her ass!" Kazuma looked at Alkan and Alkan pointed his head towards the mansion. Kazuma nodded and said, "All right, now everything's been decided."

Kazuma turned to Ren and said, "Ren, you go on ahead." Ren was surprised at that, but didn't have any say in it as the wind picked up, and it whisked Ren away with him shouting. Ayano asked, "Where did you send him?"

"To his girlfriend." Kazuma simply replied. Ayano asked again, "You mean, to where Ayumi-chan is?" Kazuma nodded and said, "I already found her thanks to my wind." Alkan watched as the doors flew open and sent Ren flying inside. He couldn't help but say, "You enjoyed doing that, didn't you Kazuma?"

"And if I did?" Kazuma asked in a sly voice. Alkan just shook his head and said, "I'll go after him and make sure he's alright." Alkan flew towards the mansion but Kureha tried to stop him by raising a boulder and flinging it at him shouting, "Stop right there."

Alkan whipped around and used a wind slash to slice the boulder right in half. Kureha was shocked as Alkan taunted, "You need to do better that that Kureha-chan! Ahahaha!" With that he flew inside the mansion after Ren.

Inside Alkan was flying through the halls and said to himself, "I would use the wind to locate Ayumi, but following Ren's screams is so much easier. It's like he's on a roller coaster or something."

Alkan followed Ren's screams until he came across an open entrance into an underground cave. He heard an echoing thud and figured, "Ren must've reached the place where Ayumi is…"

Entering the cave's entrance, he walked forward until he heard Ren's voice speaking. Alkan decided to hide and see what was happening. He peeked around a corner and saw what was happening; Ayumi was guarded by two men in suits while Ren was facing them and was talking about something. He leaned a bit closer, just in time to hear Ren say, "I want to rescue you, Ayumi-chan!"

Alkan smiled at that as Ren went on, "And that's not all! I want to rescue Mayumi-san too! I'm not going to let anyone be sacrificed!" He looked up at Mayumi incased in the giant crystal that was in the center of the cavern and said, "We're all going to be happy together!"

Alkan couldn't help but admire Ren's courage but thought, 'As much as how good this sounds, defeating the Behemoth won't be easy.' That's when he heard Ren say, "That's right. The true enemy that must be defeated is the Behemoth!"

One of the guards argued, "There's no way you can do such a ridiculous thing like that!" The other guard shouted, "We're going to force you out of here!" Ren didn't seem fazed in the least as he stated, "I defeated Yuji-san before I came here."

The two guards became hesitant as Ren asked, "Do you think you can beat me?" Alkan walked a bit backwards as the guards didn't have much of a choice and ran for it. Before Ren moved he and Ayumi heard one of the guards say, "What? Who the heck are you?"

A second later there was a couple of sounds that sounded like someone being beaten up and a swish of wind soon after. Ren called out, "Nii-sama?"

Alkan sighed as he walked into the cavern saying, "Jeez, maybe I should start using a different element, 'cause I seem to be mistaken for Kazuma one too many times…"

"Alkan-san!" Both Ren and Ayumi shouted. Alkan walked over to Ren and said, "Don't worry about the Behemoth. That's the reason I'm here, since I accepted a job to kill the beast. So you can definitely count on my support Ren." Ren and Ayumi's eyes widened at that as Alkan felt something from above, and saw a hole in the ceiling. He said, "Hmm, I'm going to check out something, so you two can have your alone time." Alkan winked at them and flew through the hole in the ceiling, leaving a slightly embarrassed Ren and Ayumi.

Alkan wound up in another cavern but found it was quite dark inside. He said, "There's something in here, but what?"

That's when a voice came out saying, "W-Who is it?" Alkan nearly freaked out and used a fireball to light up the cavern and saw a stone with a man's face on it, chained to the walls by four chains. He looked at it and asked, "Who are you, and what happened to you?"

"My name is Iwao Tsuwabuki, and Kureha sealed me inside this stone." Iwao told him. Alkan thought about it before he said, "So you're the Soushu for the Tsuwabuki right? The name's Alkan Hosenkou. I'll get you out of here in a minute."

"Wait…you're the Elementalist…" Iwao said. Alkan was silent as he touched the stone with his hands and prayed, "Earth Spirit Princess, grant me the strength to unseal this accursed seal!" The earth spirits gathered to his hands and the stone started to crack, and a moment later the stone shattered, revealing an old man with wild grey hair and a beard, wearing Japanese robes. Alkan caught him before he fell, and hoisted him on his back asking, "Hey, are you alright?"

Iwao started to regain his senses and said, "Ugh…I-I'm free from that rock. Thank you very much Hosenkou-dono."

"Uh, don't mention it. It's what I do…" Alkan replied, feeling a bit awkward at the sudden formality. Then Iwao said, "Hosenkou-dono, please stop Kureha, before it's too late…"

"Too late? What do you mean by that?" Alkan asked him.

"Kureha's up to something, I'm not sure what, but it has something to do with the Behemoth…" Iwao replied. Alkan narrowed his eyes and thought, 'I wonder, does it have to do with Kureha having a portion of the Behemoth's power?'

That's when Cui-Ling's voice asked, 'Alkan, what are you going to do?'

A sigh came from Alkan and he thought, 'I'm not sure, this whole situation just got a lot more complicated than I thought. I don't have much of a choice but to see what happens next…'

'Okay then…' Cui-Ling said, falling silent. Alkan then turned to Iwao and said, "We're going to head down to the cavern with the large crystal okay?" Iwao nodded before he suddenly collapsed and fainted. Alkan thought, 'Not surprising really, he just came out of being sealed in a rock…'

Alkan let the fireball go and floated it in front him so he could see. He spotted the hole which he came from and went down it thinking, 'Why do I have a bad feeling something's going to go wrong?' He shook his head as he floated down to the main cavern.


	13. Zenon

Chapter 13 – Zenon

In the main cavern Ren and Ayumi had a good heart to heart talk, and Kazuma just entered the room and introduced himself to Ayumi. That's when Alkan descended from above, with Iwao on his back. As he landed on the ground in front of them he said, "Oh, Kazuma you're here…"

"…Who's the old man?" Kazuma asked looking at Iwao on his back, and before Alkan could reply Ayumi recognized Iwao shouting, "Iwao-sama!"

Kazuma was surprised by Ayumi's outburst and said, "Eh…the Tsuwabuki Soshu huh? What happened to him?"

"He was sealed in a boulder by Kureha." Alkan replied, earning looks of shock from Ren and Ayumi, "I just got him out, so he'll be out of it for a while."

Then Alkan turned to Mayumi, who was encased inside the crystal pillar and asked, "So, how are we going to get her out?" He turned back to look at the three, and while Ren and Ayumi had no idea how to get her out, Kazuma had a look on his face, which told Alkan he was up to something.

"Like this!" Kazuma shouted, and wind gathered in his right hand and flung two wind slashes at the crystal, cutting the portion of the crystal that held Mayumi from the rest. The part shattered and Mayumi fell from being freed, with Kazuma's wind catching her before she hit the ground. Ayumi ran over to Mayumi's side shouting, "Mayumi-sama!"

All of a sudden, the cave started to shake and Alkan jumped out of the way as a boulder landed just where he was standing. Ren turned to Kazuma and said, "Nii-sama, didn't you think that the crystal pillar was supporting this cavern?!" Kazuma just scratched his head while Alkan replied, "Don't bother Ren, Kazuma's the 'strike first, ask questions later' type."

"Oh, you know me so well Al." Kazuma said. Alkan just shook his head as the exit collapsed due to the shaking. Parts of the ground were convulsing and Ren looked at Kazuma and Alkan asking, "How do we get out of here?!"

Both Alkan and Kazuma looked at each other before the both of them said, "We go up." As Alkan used his wind to gather everyone together, Kazuma focused his wind and shot it at the ceiling shouting, "Break through!"

A moment later, there was a blast of earth that came from the foot of Mt. Fuji. Then both Alkan and Kazuma shot through the sky, with Alkan still having Iwao on his back, while Kazuma had everyone else on him. As they got out of the cavern, a whole bunch of rocks and dirt caved into the ground, leaving only a large pit behind.

Up in the sky, Alkan and Kazuma were up in the air, with Alkan having Iwao still on his back, and Kazuma, well, he had everyone else. That's when Kazuma asked, "So, what do we do now?"

Alkan replied, "Well, first off, we need to stop Kureha. From what the Soshu on my back said, Kureha's behind everything." Kazuma smirked at that and then said, "Okay, now we got that covered, so the next thing to do is find Ayano." They didn't have to look far as a huge pillar of flame came out of the nearby forest. Kazuma smiled and said, "Well, at least she's easy to spot. Let's go Al."

As Alkan followed Kazuma he asked, "Did you leave Ayano to fight by herself?" Kazuma just gave a grin which made Alkan shake his head and said, "You can just be unbelievable sometimes Kazuma."

"You know it Al. Now, we'd better go and see if Ayano's in one piece." Kazuma told him, and the two of them flew over to the general area where Ayano was fighting Kureha. Seeing the blasts of fire really helped them locate her though, and Alkan couldn't help but think, 'Ayano really knows how to turn up the heat I guess…'

Suddenly, Iwao started to wake up again, which made Alkan and Kazuma stop for a bit. That's when he said, "Please, stop Kureha…"

Alkan heard him say that before and asked, "Why, what's she planning to do?"

* * *

When they found Ayano fighting Kureha, the first thing Kazuma said as they landed was, "Yo!" Ayano turned to see Alkan and Kazuma flying down nearby as Kazuma continued, "You waiting for us?" Enraged at Kazuma, Ayano ran right up to Kazuma as he and Alkan put down the people they carried, and gave Kazuma a high kick, which he blocked.

Alkan whistled at that as Kazuma said, "You shouldn't give a high kick while in a skirt. Biologically at least, you're a woman, aren't you?" At that Alkan couldn't help but dissolve into a quiet fit of laughter as Ayano removed her leg and shouted, "Shut up! Just die already!"

When Ayano saw Ren and Ayumi together, she smiled and said, "Way to go Ren!" Ren smiled and said, "Nee-sama…"

As Alkan was watching the whole thing, he and Kazuma suddenly felt pulses of energy. They turned around and each of them shot a wind slash in a certain direction, slicing two gravity orbs in half with them dissipating. Looking up they saw Kureha floating down from the sky saying, "You're sure acting relaxed for someone who's in the middle of a battle." That's when she saw Iwao lying down beside Mayumi and thought in shock, 'How did he get free…?' Her eyes turned to Alkan, who was looking around at the time and Kureha's eyes narrowed a bit.

That's when Kazuma looked at Kureha and told her, "We've rescued Ayumi and Mayumi. I don't think you can perform the Taisai anytime soon." This made Alkan think, 'And that's good news for me.'

Kureha replied to that, "If you took them away, then I'll just have to take them back from you! I'll make the Taisai a success no matter what. It's the duty of the Tsuwabuki to seal away the behemoth of Mt. Fuji!"

Both Alkan and Kazuma had the same thoughts as Kazuma asked, "Hey Kureha, why don't you tell us what your real intentions are already?" Kureha feigned innocence and asked, "My real intentions?"

Alkan wasn't buying it one bit as Kazuma went on, "Your objective isn't to seal the behemoth, but to acquire the full power of the behemoth, isn't it?" Kureha looked slightly surprised, while Ayano went up to Kazuma and asked, "Hey Kazuma, what do you mean by that?!"

"…I see. From my father, I suppose?" Kureha said, looking down at them. Kazuma nodded at that and said, "Yeah, he told us everything before he fainted again." Ayano looked at Kureha and asked, "The behemoth is the aggregation of Mt. Fuji's chi, isn't it? There's no way only one person can take it all in!"

"…That's why she needs to perform the Taisai ceremony…" Alkan said. Everyone looked at him as he went on, "From what I know, the Taisai essentially compresses the enormous amount of chi into a miniscule amount and is sealed away. I'm guessing that in that compressed state, a person is able to take it in. It would almost be like having an unlimited battery of energy, right Kazuma?"

Kazuma nodded, while Ayano asked, "But what on earth would she need the power of the behemoth for?" Kazuma was silent for a bit before he smirked and said, "It's really tough being a failure in a family of magic users, isn't it?"

Alkan raised an eyebrow at that and thought, 'Wow, those two are quite alike if they started out like that…' He listened as Kureha ranted about being unable to use Chijutsu when he felt a slight pulse of energy coming from the earth. Alkan thought, 'Oh no, that didn't feel right…'

That's when Kazuma said, "Yeah, I don't understand a thing, and I don't want to, either!" A blatant lie, Alkan knew that Kazuma didn't like talking about his own past very much, as Kazuma said, "But you know what? You still haven't realized one important thing."

"Important thing?" Kureha asked, wondering what Kazuma was talking about. He enlightened her by replying, "That Yuji guy turned into a monster when he was infused with the power of the beast, but you, on the other hand, still remain human. Why is that?"

Kureha was caught off guard by that as she said, "That's because…" Kazuma stated, "You took in non-human power, so there's no way that you'd remain normal all this time."

"Then why-?!" Kureha said, unable to speak anymore. Then Kazuma turned to Alkan and said, "Care to enlighten Kureha Al?"

Alkan shook his head lightly as he thought, 'Jeez, always making me the bearer of bad news…' Then he looked at Kureha and said, "I'd hate to break it to you Kureha-chan, but there's only one reason you're still human. Even before you received some of the behemoth's power, it must've given you a small portion of it's power; probably when you were born."

"Wh-what kind of nonsense is that?!" Kureha demanded, looking shocked. Alkan just sighed and said, "The behemoth's small power made you resistant to the corrupting effects when you took more of it's power Kureha-chan. Hate to say this, but you though that you would be able to use the behemoth, when the behemoth was already using you from the moment you were born, so it can be resurrected!"

Kureha was in total shock and tried to rebuff Alkan shouting, "That's impossible! There's no way that's possible-!" Alkan couldn't help but sigh as he said, "Creatures like the behemoth are cunning and deceptive, not to mention being sealed for so long probably gave it a lot of time to think and plan. From what I can see, it manipulated you into seeking it's power by sealing your Chijutsu abilities…"

"That's a lie! A lie! A lie!" Kureha shouted, now in total denial, "Are you telling me that the beast has been controlling my entire life? Are you telling me I've been his puppet all along? The excruciating isolation, humiliation, and even my hatred towards my father… Are you telling me that all those things were just tools for the resurrection of that monster that's been locked away in the darkness of the earth?"

Alkan winced at all that and thought, 'Uh oh, I think she's losing it…wait, locked away in the darkness of the earth? Oh boy…' Kazuma seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he asked, "Hey Kureha…Is the behemoth sealed by the Tsuwabuki kept in an underground cave with a giant crystal pillar, by any chance."

Kureha, now looking all dejected, replied, "That's right…" Alkan couldn't help but slap his head and said, "This isn't good, I don't have anymore time to prepare…" Kazuma looked like he just made a mistake, which made Ayano go up to him and ask, "Hey Kazuma, you screwed up something, didn't you?" The she started shaking him and shouted, "Spit it out! What did you do?!"

As Kazuma told Ayano what happened earlier, Alkan felt pulses of energy coming from within the earth from the direction of Mt. Fuji. Then he heard Kazuma say, "Well, I guess it'll be alright…"

"You can't be serious…" Alkan said in a tired voice. Kureha looked shocked as she shouted, "What are you talking about?! Doing something like that would dispel the seal in an instant!"

That's when Ayano started shaking Kazuma shouting, "Do you realize what you just did you idiot?!" Suddenly the ground started to shake and the energy Alkan sensed started to pulsate a lot more strongly. When everyone looked towards Mt. Fuji they saw flames starting to erupt from the hole that Alkan and Kazuma escaped from with everyone. That's when he heard Kureha say, "The behemoth…Zenon…"

"Zenon?" Alkan heard Ayano ask. Not wasting any time, Alkan clapped his hands together softly and went into what looked like a praying stance, ignoring everything that was going on. He thought, 'Jeez, unleashing the full potential of the contracts is going to take some time…hope they can stall that thing…'

Zenon gave a bellowing roar, and Alkan heard Kazuma and Ayano say something before they ran forward to face Zenon. Ren was about to leave to when Alkan heard him say, "Ayumi-chan…Don't worry, I'll promise I'll be back, so we can live together Ayumi-chan."

It took a lot of willpower to not think about what Ren just said as Alkan continued to focus. Then he heard Ren say, "So wait for me here." That's when Kazuma called out to him and Ren replied, and he was about to leave when he saw Alkan just standing there, and said, "Alkan-san?"

"Go…stall…until…" Was all that came out of Alkan, and Ren just looked at him with a puzzled look as he ran to Kazuma, and was lifted into the air. In the air Ren asked, "What's wrong with Alkan-san?"

"Knowing Al, he probably has something up his sleeve…" Kazuma told him. Ayano looked at Kazuma and asked, "You don't know what he's planning?"

"Hey, I may be friends with the guy, but I don't know everything that goes on in that head of his." Kazuma replied, "Never mind him, we need to take care of that guy over there." Looking at Zenon, Kazuma flew the three towards the behemoth as they prepared to fight.

Back where Ayumi was, she noticed Alkan standing there being silent. She approached him asking, "Uh, Alkan-san? What are you doing?" Alkan kept silent, since he was really trying to focus, but at least he was able to answer her a moment later, when he said, "I'm…summoning…power…to…take…down…Zenon… Just…a…bit…more…"

While Alkan was concentrating, it reminded him of the time when the Spirit Princesses mentioned about the power he was trying to summon.

* * *

_Flashback_

_ Shortly after making a contract with the Fire Spirit Princess, Alkan made his way out of the fiery area he was in, and felt relief when things were starting to cool down. Taking a break Alkan sighed as he sat down on a dead log thinking, 'I have my powers back for the most part, but what the heck am I going to do now?'_

_ "Hmm, it looks like our contractor is in the middle of thought." A voice said, which made Alkan jump. Looking around, he saw the four Spirit Princesses standing in front of him, making Alkan sigh and said, "Geez, you four scared me for a second."_

_ The Wind Spirit Princess smiled and said, "You know, when's the last time we were brought together like this was?" The Earth Spirit Princess answered, "I'm not sure, probably four hundred years or so…"_

_ "Wow, it's been that long huh?" The Water Spirit Princess said. The Fire Spirit Princess looked at the other three and asked, "Weren't we supposed to tell our Contractor something?"_

_ The other three Princesses remembered and the Wind Spirit Princess said, "That's right, we gathered together because we wanted to tell you something."_

_ Alkan was curious what they had to say, as the four Spirit Princesses looked at each other for a moment. That's when the Wind Spirit Princess stepped up and said, "There's something we need to tell you about the contracts you have with each of us. You can only use them one at a time, but if you really need to…" The Wind Spirit Princess fell silent at that, making Alkan wonder, "What is it?"_

_ Rolling her eyes, the Fire Spirit Princess walked right up to Alkan and said, "What she meant to say was, that you're able to use all of our contracts at once if you happen to get into a pinch, so to say."_

_ Raising an eyebrow, Alkan said, "Really, is that even possible?" Knowing the immense power a contract bestowed on the mage, Alkan knew the benefits and side effects of a contract. For some reason though, the Wind Spirit Princess looked a bit anxious as the Water Spirit Princess said, "That's all we wanted to let you know. We'll see you some time when we need you…"_

_ With that the four Spirit Princesses vanished, though the Wind Spirit Princess looked at him with worried eyes for a second before she too disappeared. Alkan looked at the spot where the four Spirit Princesses disappeared as he said to himself, "Using the four contracts at once huh? I wonder what would happen if I did…"_

* * *

Present time

Alkan focused more on the power of the four contracts, while Ayumi continued to watch Ren, Kazuma, and Ayano fight Zenon. He heard Kureha say something and felt the earth around her. Ayumi went up to Alkan and asked, "Alkan-san, Ren and the others are in trouble!"

"Almost…done…" Alkan muttered, and all of a sudden, spirits from the four elements started to gather around him. Ayumi was quite surprised at what was happening, until she saw that Kureha was standing was standing in front of Zenon, using her Chijutsu to attack it, which wasn't working by the way. Ayumi shouted, "Kureha-sama, Alkan-san, please do something!"

That's when Ayumi saw part of Alkan's hair change into four different colors, green, blue, light brown, and red. Alkan took off the eyepatch he was wearing as he opened his eyes, revealing to have a rainbow-like look. Then he turned to Ayumi and said, "God, that Kureha-chan, she doesn't think, doesn't she? Oh well, might as well save that idiot." With that Alkan vanished in gust of wind, making Ayumi cover her eyes.

Back at where Zenon was, Kureha was using her Chijutsu to attack Zenon in her rage, and that's when the behemoth started to gather energy in it's mouth. Ayumi, after bringing her eyes down, saw what was happening and shouted, "Kureha-sama, watch out!"

That's when Zenon fired, and it looked like Kureha was engulfed in the blast as Kazuma said, "Tch, that idiot…huh?" Suddenly a blast of wind came down on Zenon, actually forcing it's head down a bit. Looking to the source, Kazuma, Ayano, and Ren looked and saw Alkan floating up in the sky, with Kureha in his arms.

Kureha herself was shocked at what happened and all she could say was, "W-what? Y-you, did you…"

Looking at Kureha, she could see the change in Alkan's look. To her surprise he said quite rudely, "What are you, stupid? You just got your powers back, and you think you can take down that thing? I wonder if your brain ran away from you when you got angry…"

"W-what?" Kureha asked, looking shocked. Alkan summoned the wind and it took Kureha off of his arm. Then he said, "I didn't think that you were that desperate to die though. Just stay back or else I'll give you a spanking." Ending with that, the wind took Kureha away from the area to the place where Ayumi and the other Tsuwabukis were, with Kureha fainting from the overuse of her powers.

Turning to Zenon, Alkan had a malicious grin on his face as he said, "Now, I wonder how I should kill you. Quick and painless, or slow and agonizing? Ha ha ha…" Suddenly Alkan went on the total offensive, attacking Zenon with the various elements mercilessly. He still had a smug grin on his face as he laughed like a manic while still throwing attacks at Zenon, which had little effect on it's barrier, and only served to pin it down.

Hearing the whole thing, Ayano turned to Kazuma and asked, "Hey Kazuma, what the heck just happened with Alkan? He's gotten more powerful, but he sounds like a total psychopath!"

Ren seemed concerned as well as Kazuma replied, "Ha, I've only heard about this, but from what I'm seeing, it looks like it was true…" Ayano pressed, "What are you talking about?"

"What you see there, is Alkan using the power of four elemental contracts at once. I already knew that he had made contracts with the four Spirit Princesses, he told me this himself once, but I didn't know that he could do that." Kazuma told them, as he watched Alkan continue to attack, with some of the attacks actually getting through Zenon's barrier, but they only scratched the behemoth's skin.

"From what I heard, Alkan only used the power once before, but I don't know the rest, since most of the details were a bit hazy." Kazuma said. That's when Alkan flew down next to them as Zenon looked a bit weary from all the attacks. Seeing the change on Alkan's face, he said in a rude tone, "Are you bitches going to just stand there all day and gawk?"

Kazuma raised an eyebrow, while Ayano looked right at Alkan and asked, "What he heck did you just say?" Alkan laughed and said, "You heard me red-head, or is it that you've lost the will to fight? I guess that's understandable…"

Seeing that Zenon was starting to recover from Alkan's barrage, Ayano ran up to Alkan in a rage shouting, "What was that?!" She tried on instinct to attack Alkan with Enraiha, but found what she was doing and tried to stop herself. However Alkan caught Enraiha barehanded as he said, "Tch, tch, you should know better than to attack a person with Enraiha red-head. Or is it dark pink? I really can't tell sometimes…"

Being called red-head had gotten on Ayano's nerves, and she instinctively threw a punch right at Alkan's face. Not expecting something like that, Alkan didn't have time to raise his wind barrier and took the punch right on the forehead, which sent him flying back a bit.

A moment later, Ayano realized what she just did and she shouted to Alkan, "Uh, Alkan, are you alright?"

There was no sound coming from Alkan as Kazuma said, "Nice job Ayano, you just took out one of our trump cards." Ayano fumed as she shouted back, "I didn't mean to you know!" That's when they heard Alkan groan as he got up, which made Ren ask, "Uh, Alkan-san, are you alright?"

"Ow…I'm fine Ren." Alkan replied in his normal voice. Getting up, they still saw that his contracts were still active as he shook his head and said, "Sorry about that Ayano, it's just using this power pretty much makes me unwind…"

"Unwind?! You were acting like a nutcase when you were fighting Zenon. And the way you acted made you worse than Kazuma!" Ayano shouted at him. Alkan laughed at that and said, "Sorry about that Ayano."

Then Zenon gave out a bellow and everyone turned towards it as Kazuma said, "It looks like the behemoth is recovering from your attacks Al, but that barrier won't let most of our attacks through."

Suddenly they felt a pulse of energy and everyone turned to the source, only to see that it was Ayumi who was emitting the energy. Alkan's eyes widened a bit as he thought, 'What the heck is that girl doing?!' That's when the heard a rumble and everyone turned to see that Zenon was starting to weaken, and that's he heard Ayano shout, "Don't tell me, is she planning on performing the Taisai right now?!"

Looking at Zenon, Alkan thought, 'That's a good move strategy-wise, but…' He looked over at Ayumi and knew what might happen afterwards. That's when he heard Ren shout, "I'll kill Zenon in an instant!" Hearing the resolve in Ren's voice, Alkan cracked a small smile as Ren said, "Nii-sama, Nee-sama, Alkan-san, please lend me your powers!"

Everyone nodded and they got to work, with Kazuma activating his contract. Meanwhile Alkan thought, 'This will definitely work, and I'll have enough energy left to do that other thing too…'

Everyone attacked, and soon, it left a big hole in Zenon's body. Alkan was beside Kazuma as he said, "Should we finish this?" Kazuma replied, "Of course!" The two summoned the power of the wind as spires shot out of the ground and pinned Zenon in place. That's when Alkan and Kazuma fired off two cyclones, but Alkan added to that by infusing fire into the cyclone. This, along with the two cyclones combining, turned into a blazing fire tornado that slammed right into Zenon, causing the creature to screech in pain before it exploded.

As pieces of the behemoth fell Ren looked towards Ayumi and saw that she had collapsed. Alkan saw this too and he promptly vanished into thin air before Kazuma could stop him. Before he vanished however, Kazuma saw that his contracts were still active, making him wonder, 'What are you up to Al…?'

As Ren rushed over to Ayumi, he picked her up shouting, "Ayumi-chan, wake up! Ayumi-chan!" Ayumi opened her eyes and said, "Ren… I think I used more power than I thought… I don't think I can make it…"

Ren shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, it's my fault. If I were more…" He couldn't say anymore, and that's when Alkan appeared before the two, still with his contracts active. Looking down at them, Ren said, "Alkan-san…?" Alkan turned to Ayumi and asked, "Ayumi, do you want to live?"

"H-huh?" Ren said, a bit surprised at the question. Ayumi however, nodded and said, "Yes, I want to live with Ren." Then Alkan turned to Ren and asked, "How about you?"

Furiously nodding he said, "Of course I want Ayumi-chan to live!" Alkan smirked as he put his hands over Ayumi and said, "Ren, hold her steady alright?" Ren nodded as Alkan closed his eyes and focused his powers while chanting something that neither Ren nor Ayumi could recognize.

As Alkan chanted, spirits from the four elements started to converge on them and they started to enter Ayumi. She started glowing for a second and Ren was about to freak out a bit, but he kept himself steady. Ayano and Kazuma walked up to them, wondering what was going on. Mayumi had woken up, and was wondering what was happening as Ayumi continued to glow brighter.

A few minutes later, something came out of Ayumi, which flew over to Kazuma. The pixie Tiana, who was with them said, "Ah, that's the pixie's treasure!" Tiana caught it and said, "Ne Kazuma, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure, since this is the first time I'm seeing something like this." Kazuma told her. That's when the glow started to fade and at the same time, the contracts faded from Alkan, returning his eyes back to their usual brown and red. Ayumi slowly opened her eyes and said, "Ren…?"

"Ayumi-chan…?" Ren said, still unsure of what just happened. Alkan explained to him, "I can't go into details…but she should be…able to live as a…normal human from now on…" Everyone noticed how tired Alkan's voice sounded, but Ayumi was more surprised by Alkan's words. She asked, "Is that true Alkan-san?!"

As Alkan got up, he turned around and said, "Yes…it's true…" He walked off a bit, earning a glance from Kazuma and Mayumi, wondering what was wrong with him. Meanwhile, Ren and Ayumi were quite happy, which would be an understatement, as Ren was practically overjoyed that Ayumi was going to be alright. He said, "Everything's going to be fine, and I can show you all the things that I want you to see!"

"Really?!" Ayumi asked, sounding excited. Ren nodded happily as the two hugged each other. Kazuma, Ayano, and even Mayumi seemed happy about the situation. It didn't last however as Alkan started to cough. Everyone turned to him and they saw that Alkan was shaking a bit, with his hands to his mouth. Kazuma asked, "Is everything alright Al?"

Alkan didn't seem to hear Kazuma as he started to cough a bit violently and they heard him say, "I knew something like this would happen, but I didn't think it would be this severe…" That's when he started coughing again and to everyone's shock, they saw blood starting to splatter on the ground in front of him.

Concerned, Kazuma walked up to Alkan saying, "Hey Alkan, what's wrong?!" Turning around, everyone was treated to a horrifying sight. Alkan had blood coming out of his nose, mouth, and even eyes. He looked like he was on the verge of collapse as he said, "Ugh, I think I used too much power back there. The human body wasn't made to hold that much power…"

Alkan looked at Kazuma and said, "Oh well, at least Ren won't go through…what we did…right Kazuma?" Staggering a bit to the side, Alkan fell over and landed face first onto the ground unconscious. Everyone rushed over to his side as Ayano asked, "What happened to Alkan Kazuma?!"

"Tch, the idiot used a lot of power. You as well as I do that the human body can only wield so much power." Kazuma told her. Ayano looked at him and said, "Then-?!"

"Grr, at this rate Alkan will die right here!" Kazuma spat. Everyone was horrified at that, until they heard a voice said, "Oh boy, it looks like our Contractor got himself in quite the pickle…"

"Huh? Who…?" Kazuma said, looking around. That's when another voice said, "Well, what do we do then? It's not like we can just let him croak right there."

Everyone was looking around and Ayano shouted, "Who's there?!" Then, another voice said, "You know, they can hear us girls." Another voice said, "Hmm, maybe it's because they're within our Contractor's vicinity."

"Contractor? Are you voices the four Spirit Princesses?" Kazuma called out. The Fire Spirit Princess said, "Wow, he sure figured us out pretty quickly, though we might've said a bit too much."

"Never mind them, we need to save Alkan. Oh I knew something like this was going to happen…" The Wind Spirit Princess said. The Water Spirit Princess agreed, "Yes, and I'm sure you can feel as well as I do that his life is starting to slip away."

Then the Earth Spirit Princess said, "Let's begin then." Suddenly spirits from the four elements surrounded Alkan, bathing him in a light that used to be around Ayumi. This went on for a moment until the light died down, and Alkan seemed to be breathing fine. That's when the Wind Spirit Princess said, "He should be fine now, but you people should bring him to a place to rest…"

The voices vanished, and Kazuma used his wind to pick Alkan up and said, "Shoot, all the things he does, and leaves me to clean them up…" Shaking his head, Kazuma turned to Mayumi and pointed to the unconscious forms of Iwao and Kureha saying, "You need take care of those two, while we head back to the Kannagi mansion."

As Mayumi quietly complied and went over to her family members, Kazuma turned to Ren and asked, "Is Ayumi coming with us or what?" Ren looked a bit stunned for a second before he turned to Ayumi. She quietly nodded and Ren replied, "Yes, she's coming."

"Good, well then, let's get going." Kazuma said, and he started walking with Alkan's unconscious form behind him. Ren and Ayumi got up and followed Kazuma, with Ayumi asking, "It's all my fault isn't it, that Alkan-san almost died."

"Don't say that Ayumi-chan. He wanted to save you, and I'm really happy that he did." Ren said. That's when Kazuma added, "It's not like he was planning to die you know. From what he said, I don't think he expected the backlash from using that power to be that severe."

"Well, at least he's fine now, thanks to the Spirit Princesses." Ayano said. That puzzled Kazuma, as he said, "That I find odd, since it's said that like the Spirit Kings, the Spirit Princesses don't usually intervene like they did just now."

"Hmm, maybe it's because Alkan has contracts with all of them?" Ayano asked. Kazuma just shrugged and said, "Who knows? What I do know is that we need to head back to the Kannagi mansion and tell the Soshu what happened."

Ayano didn't look too thrilled at that idea, and looked over to see Ren and Ayumi in their own little world. Then she looked at Alkan and thought, 'I thought Kazuma and Alkan were on the same level, but after what happened, I'm not sure…'

The four continued to walk back to the Kannagi mansion, and Kazuma used the wind to conceal Alkan's floating body as they entered the city. Seeing the mansion in the distance, Kazuma thought, 'Now, how am I going to explain this…?'


	14. Cleanup

Chapter 14 – Cleanup

'…Ugh, where am I?" Alkan said, looking around as his eyes opened. He found himself in a place that was pitch black, which happened to look like nothingness. Looking around once more, he said, "Oh no, I died, didn't I?"

"No, you're not dead Alkan." A voice said to him. Whipping around, Alkan found himself face to face with Cui-Ling. Seeing her Alkan said, "Aw man, I really am dead!"

That's when Cui-Ling went over to him and slapped him on the face shouting, "How many times to I have to tell you: You. Are. Not. Dead!" Alkan looked at her with disbelieving eyes for a second before he said, "If I'm not dead, then how am I talking to you?"

Cui-Ling couldn't help but slap her head and said, "We're in your mind Alkan. I'm talking to you from the crystal." Alkan scratched his head and asked, "Uh, w-what happened? The last thing I remember was using a family spell to turn Ayumi into a regular human being, and things start to get fuzzy from there. Though I do remember there being blood though…"

A sigh came from Cui-Ling and she said, "You almost died due to using way too much energy. It's only thanks to the Spirit Princesses that you're still around, which by the way I'm thankful for."

An 'oh' formed on Alkan's lips as he said, "So that's what happened, though I didn't think it would've been that severe…"

"Ha, you can be such an idiot like Kazuma sometimes. I wonder if it rubbed off on him from you in the first place." Cui-Ling said with a sigh. Alkan laughed and asked, "So do you have any idea where am I right now? Or is it they left me lying on the ground at the foot of Mt. Fuji."

"From what I could tell, you're in the Kannagi mansion lying in a futon. That's all I can say for now, since it appears that you're starting to wake up from your injuries Alkan." Cui-Ling told him. Then she remembered something and said, "Yes, there's one more thing I have to mention Alkan. Due to the huge amount of energy you used, you won't be able to use any of your Jutsushi abilities for a while, maybe for a few weeks at the least. The Spirit Princesses said so…"

Alkan felt it as well and asked, "Ugh, now that's going to be rough, though there's just one more thing. How long was I out for?"

Cui-Ling just smiled at him and said, "Oh, why spoil the surprise? You'll find out eventually…" With that she disappeared, making Alkan shout, "Hey, what do you mean by that?! Get back here Cui-Ling!"

* * *

In one of the rooms of the Kannagi mansion, Alkan groaned as he opened his eyes. Now awake he mumbled, "She's the same as always…" He tried to get up, but found that he was quite sore and made quite the loud groan as he collapsed from the sudden freeze his body made.

Alkan's shout seemed to have attracted some attention and he heard footsteps approaching. When the door flew open, he was surprised to see Ayumi and Ren at the door, and both of them said, "Alkan-san!"

Ren and Ayumi had relieved looks on their faces seeing Alkan awake. He looked at them and smiled saying, "Hey Ren, Ayumi, glad to see the two of you are alright."

The reaction Alkan got was something that he wasn't expecting; both Ren and Ayumi ran right at him and both gave him a big hug, making Alkan cringe at the sudden soreness that came from the contact. Ren said, "Alkan-san, thank goodness that you woke up! We thought that you would be out for much longer!"

The two got off him and sat down beside his futon. Alkan felt like he was paralyzed, so he just stayed there down on the futon as Ayumi said, "Oh, I'm so glad that you're all right Alkan-san. You gave me a new life, and if you died because of it, I don't think I would've forgiven myself…"

A sigh came from Alkan as he asked, "Um, how exactly did I survive exactly? The details are hazy for me."

"Um, well, after you saved Ayumi, you collapsed onto the ground with blood coming out of, well, every opening we could see on your face Alkan-san." Ren replied reluctantly. Alkan winced at the details and knew that it wasn't even remotely pretty as Ren went on, "From what Nii-sama said, you were going to die when we heard these female voices talking out of thin air. Then all of a sudden your body started glowing and after that, you were okay, and Nii-sama carried you with the wind back here."

Alkan thought, 'Hmm, those voices must be the Spirit Princesses. It must've been them that saved me, but I wonder why? Not that I'm not grateful or anything like that, just out of curiosity, since I don't actually see those four intervening just like that.'

A groan came from Alkan as he asked, "Okay that answers that. So anyway, what happened after that? And how long was I out for?"

That's when the door opened and both Kazuma and Ayano were at the door, with Kazuma saying, "Oh, it looks like sleeping beauty decided to wake up now!"

"…Screw you Kazuma." Alkan spat, "I'd like to see you in a bed after throwing around large amounts of energy like there's no tomorrow."

Alkan tried to get up, but halfway through another spasm went through his body making him crash back into the futon. Kazuma laughed and said, "Oooh, looks like sleeping beauty's a little cranky!"

"Oi, stop doing that Kazuma!" Ayano snapped, "It's to be expected, since he's been out of it for two weeks."

Ayano's works shocked Alkan as he said, "What?! I was out for two weeks?!"

Everyone except Kazuma jumped at Alkan's shouting. Ren scratched his head and replied, "Actually, you've been unconscious for about a week and a half. And after what had happened, everyone thought that you'd be still out of it for another few weeks."

"…What a vote of confidence…" Alkan sarcastically mumbled. Then he asked, "So, what's the situation these days Kazuma. I take it things with the Tsuwabuki calmed down?"

Kazuma just shrugged and replied, "I don't really know much about it. You'll have to ask the Soshou about it."

"I'll go get Father then." Ayano said, and she left the room to go get the Kannagi Soshou.

Alkan tried to get up again, but found that his body was now totally unresponsive. Seeing him squirm made Kazuma laugh, and both Ren and Ayumi admitted that seeing Alkan squirm under the futon was pretty hilarious as they stifled a laugh.

"Ugh, either the massive amount of energy I used shot most of my nerves senseless, or that lying in a futon for over a week made me really weak." Alkan groaned.

"It's probably both Al." Kazuma told him.

Alkan just shook his head slightly and said, "Ha…I guess I owe one to the Spirit Princesses…" Then he turned to Ayumi and asked, "So, how are you doing Ayumi?"

Ayumi brightened up a bit as she happily replied, "I've been doing well Alkan-san. Just a few days ago, Ren took me to an amusement park with Kazuma-sama and Ayano-sama, and he introduced me to two of his friends, Kanon-san and Tetsuya-san, I think."

From what Alkan could see, Ren looked a bit sheepish, and he also saw that Kazuma had a slightly smug look on his face for some reason. Alkan made a slight nod motion as he said, "That's good to hear. Fu, it looks like you're keeping your word huh Ren?"

"Y-yes!" Ren replied, his face a bit red. Alkan smirked as he turned to Kazuma and asked, "So you really have no clue what's the current situation with the Tsuwabuki?"

"I believe I can answer that one Alkan." A voice replied. A moment later, Jugo appeared at the doorway, with Ayano beside him. Kazuma moved out of the way as to let the two walk into the room. Jugo said, "Gad to see that you're conscious now Alkan."

"I'd feel better if I was able to move though Jugo-dono.' Alkan replied with a sigh.

Jugo kept a calm face as he turned to the others and asked, "I need to talk to Alkan in private. Ayano, could you take care of Ren and Ayumi?"

"Of course Father, let's go Ren, Ayumi-chan." Ayano replied. She motioned to Ren and Ayumi to come over at the same time and they complied without question. When those three left, Kazuma was about to leave also when Jugo said, "Wait Kazuma. You might want to stay for a bit since there's something you need to know."

Both Alkan and Kazuma wondered what that was as Kazuma returned to his previous spot after closing the door. Then Jugo said, "Okay, first off, the Tsuwabuki have been busy trying to get their affairs back in order after the incident with the behemoth, and they've been unusually quiet during that time. They didn't even say anything about Ayumi staring here."

"Pfft, more like they're trying to clean up the mess that Kureha made." Kazuma commented.

Jugo just sighed and said, "Just recently though, I received a message from Iwao Tsuwabuki, and what it said quite surprised me. It said that he wants to meet with you, Kazuma, Ayano, Ren, and Ayumi as soon as you recovered Alkan."

"Um, did it happen to say why?" Alkan asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Apparently, it didn't." Jugo replied. That's when Kazuma said, "They probably want to meet us as a way to settle one of their affairs, and it probably involves Ayumi."

Closing one eye, Alkan said, "That…makes sense, I guess." Looking at Jugo, he said, "Could you send the Tsuwabuki a message Jugo? Tell them that we can meet the in a couple of days, and to tell us the location where they want to meet."

"I can do that." Jugo replied, getting up. Suddenly, Alkan's stomach growled and Jugo added, "I'll have one of the servants get you something to eat."

Jugo left the room, leaving Alkan and Kazuma by themselves. Then Kazuma was about to leave also, when he stopped and remembered something. He took out a cellphone and threw it towards Alkan, with it landing on top of the futon as Kazuma said, "Here's your cell Al. Sorry for just taking it."

"…And why did you have it in the first place?" Alkan asked suspiciously.

"Well you see, a guy named Len called and I told him what had happened to you." Kazuma explained. Then a smug look appeared on his face as he added, "Oh, and you should thank me for covering for you, concerning all those jobs that Len person called about. Don't worry, I already took the pays as payment, so you don't owe me anything."

With that, Kazuma walked out of the room and closed the door. Alkan couldn't help but feel annoyed as he muttered, "One of these days, I'm gonna kill him."

* * *

A few days later, Alkan, Kazuma, Ayano, Ren, and Ayumi were standing in front of a building that had a restaurant in it. Alkan was still a bit wobbly but he was well enough to stand on his own. He said, "So this is the meeting place. Well, let's see what the Tsuwabuki Soshou wants."

They were about to walk inside when Ren noticed Ayumi trembling a bit. Everyone else saw it too as Ren said, "Don't worry Ayumi-chan. I'm here to protect you, and everyone else is too!"

That seemed to calm her down as she gave a small smile and said, "Thank you Ren."

"That kid's going to be a heart breaker when he's older." Alkan commented.

Kazuma agreed saying, "Just like his older brother. Let's get going."

They all walked in, though everyone but Kazuma noticed that Ayano made a snort trying to hold in her laughter. Ren and Ayumi wondered what that was all about but they didn't say anything as they entered the building.

Inside Alkan and Kazuma looked around until Kazuma spotted Mayumi's attendant Yuji standing nearby in his usual suit. He looked like he was waiting for something and Kazuma said, "Bet he's our welcoming party."

"You know, they could've sent someone that we haven't met before." Alkan said, as Yuji spotted them and walked right over to them.

As Yuji approached them, he felt slightly uncomfortable for some reason, and he could see it on Yuji's face too. He couldn't blame him though; how can you walk up to people who kicked your ass a while ago like nothing ever happened? He stopped in front of them and Alkan could hear Ayumi shuffling a bit as Yuji addressed Alkan, "The Soshou has been expecting you. Please, this way."

Yuji led the way and everyone exchanged glances with each other as they walked. Alkan couldn't help but think, 'This feels awkward…'

The group was led to a pair of doors that they figured led to a private room and Yuji opened the door saying, "The Soshou is inside, please come in."

Alkan and the others entered, and found that there was an elaborate room that had two couches, two chairs and a table in the center. Iwao was sitting on a chair at the end of a table, while Mayumi and Kureha were sitting together on another couch beside Iwao.

As Alkan and the others approached Iwao said, "Ah, Hosenkou-dono, I'm glad to see that you've recovered."

"Thank you for your concern Soshou-dono." Alkan replied as he sat on the chair on the other end, while Kazuma and the others sat in the other couch.

Feeling that things should move along quickly, Alkan asked, "I am curious though, is there a reason you called all of us here Soshou-dono?"

"Ha ha, straight to the point eh?" Iwao said, "I understand. First off, let me say thank you all on behalf of the Tsuwabuki for destroying Zenon. Secondly, I would like to apologize personally to you Ayumi, for everything that has happened."

"Eh? Um, it's alright Iwao-sama…" Ayumi said nervously. Iwao shook his head and said, "No, it isn't. You were created solely for the Taisai ritual and that in itself is wrong, and the way we treated you wasn't any better."

Kazuma raised an eyebrow and thought, 'Wow, looks like the Tsuwabuki Soshou did a lot of thinking over the past week.'

Ayumi clapped her hands together and said gently, "I'm glad you created me Iwao-sama, because if you hadn't, then I would've never met people like Ren, Alkan-sama, Kazuma-sama, and Ayano-sama." Ren blushed a bit while the other three smiled as Ayumi went on, "Also, I've discovered many things in such a short while, and thanks to Alkan-sama, I'm able to experience much more things."

"…I see." Iwao said, looking a bit relieved for some reason. Both Mayumi and Kureha looked a bit surprised by Ayumi's speech but they managed to hide their expressions before anyone could notice.

That's when Iwao said, "Hosenkou-dono, I'm sure this may sound presumptuous of me, since you just recovered and all, but I need to ask you something."

Alkan raised an eyebrow as he asked, "And what would that be Soshou-dono?"

Iwao cleared his throat before he replied, "Could you please take Ayumi under your care, Hosenkou-dono?"

The room was completely silent, with everyone baffled at the sudden request. Alkan and Kazuma managed to keep their expressions completely straight, while the others looked downright surprised at Iwao's request. Ayumi looked a bit embarrassed for some reason as the silence went on, until Iwao said, "Hosenkou-dono?"

Alkan thought about it for a bit before he said, "I'm sure that there are some complicated reasons behind it, but I won't ask. I'd be glad to take care of her, but only she can make that choice. I won't decide for her."

Then the attention turned to Ayumi and Kazuma couldn't help but think, 'He sure knows how to push decisions on others.'

Ayumi looked a bit nervous, but a look from both Alkan and Ren made her more confident. She cleared her throat and said, "I really don't mind at all Iwao-sama." Then she turned to Alkan and said, "Please take care of me Alkan-sama."

"Uh, sure thing Ayumi." Alkan said with a small smile. In his mind he thought, 'Oh man, that sure backfired. I was so sure that she would refuse then I would try to convince the Soshou to let her live with the Kannagi.'

'Some schemer you are.' He heard Cui-Ling say in the back of his mind.

'Quiet you.' Alkan thought in a snap. Then he said, "Well, with that now done, is there anything else Soshou-dono?"

There was a moment of silence, but Ayano noticed Kureha looking at Alkan oddly from time to time, which made her think, 'Wonder what Kureha's deal is…'

"Actually, that's about it." Iwao replied. Alkan could tell that everyone looked stumped at the sudden end of the meeting. Getting up, Alkan said, "Then I guess we should go and get things straightened out. Let's get going everyone."

Iwao nodded at that but said, while Mayumi and Kureha looked a bit miffed that they were there for no reason. The group left the room, until Alkan was the last one. He was about to leave when Iwao said, "Hosenkou-dono, could you please stay for a bit?"

Curious, Alkan hung back as the doors closed, due to Yuji. He wondered what Iwao wanted as he went back to his seat.

Outside, Kazuma and the others were led to the entrance hall by Yuji, when they realized that Alkan wasn't with them. Looking around Kazuma asked, "Oi, where's Al?"

"Soshou-sama had to talk to Hosenkou-sama in private," Yuji replied, "Please wait there for a moment please." He motioned to the area that led to the restaurant that was built in.

About ten minutes later, Alkan came out alone, looking a bit stressed. Everyone looked at him and Ren said, "Alkan-san! What happened in there?"

"It's nothing to be concerned about. Just something the Soshou and the others wanted to talk to me about." Alkan replied, assuring them. Kazuma and Ayano noticed that he was hiding something but they knew that Alkan wouldn't say anything in front of Ren and Ayumi, so they kept quiet. Instead Kazuma said, "Well, I guess I'm off, there's still that one job that that Len person gave me. Coming Ayano?"

"Huh?" Ayano said, not expecting something like that from Kazuma. Meanwhile, Alkan just shook his head that Kazuma still had a job that he took from Len. He watched Kazuma grab Ayano and dragged her off, with the last thing he heard from Ayano was, "Why the heck are you dragging me along?!"

"It'll be good training for you." Kazuma replied, before Alkan, Ren, and Ayumi couldn't hear them anymore.

Shaking his head, Alkan said, "Well now, why don't we head over to my place? It's been over a week and I'm starting to wonder what state it's in."

Ren and Ayumi nodded to that, and Alkan said, "Okay then, let's get going you two."

* * *

When they got to Alkan's place, the first person they saw was Chisato, who was at her door in the middle of unlocking it. She heard the three of them coming and took a good look before she said, "Is that you Alkan? Where have you been? It's been over a week?"

"Uh, I've been out of town on a sudden business call…" Alkan lied. For some reason Chisato saw right through it and said, "I don't believe you Alkan, but whatever. So anyway, who's the girl with Ren, Alkan?"

"Her name's Ayumi Tsuwabuki, and I'm going to be taking care of her for a while." Alkan replied. Chisato raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything as she said, "Oh well, at least you're back Alkan, and that's what counts." Then she turned to Ayumi and said, "It's nice meeting you Ayumi-san."

Ayumi nodded and Chisato went over to her door opening it. Then she gave one last nod before going in and closing the door behind her. Alkan looked puzzled at her behavior and said, "Wow, she must've had a bad day or something…"

Both Ren and Ayumi looked at each other for a moment before Ren just shook his head. Meanwhile, Alkan went over to his door and touched the handle, and that's when he felt something wrong. He said, "Ren, could you come over and open the door? I think there's something inside, and to tell you the truth, I can't use any of my powers at the moment."

"I understand Alkan-san." Ren replied. He lit a fireball in his hand while carefully opening the door after Alkan had unlocked it. The two of them burst through the door, only to find a peculiar scene in front of them.

Inside, half the place was a mess, with a number of things strewn here and there. Floating on top were Tierria and Tiana fighting with each other. Ren made the fireball vanish as Alkan shouted, "What the heck is going on here?!"

The Fairy Gnome and Pixie stopped fighting with each other, and turned around to see a very pissed Alkan. They gulped as Ayumi walked in to see what's going on, and she was quite surprised to see the half trashed apartment. Meanwhile Alkan looked at the two responsible and asked, "First thing's first, why are the two of you here? And secondly, why does my place look like something out of a tornado?!"

Tierria was the first to answer saying, "Well, to answer your first question Alkan-san I'm here to give you your payment for actually completing our clan's request." She pointed to a counter in the kitchen and the three of them saw a brown bag tied by a string on top, "As for the Pixie here, I have no idea."

"Well excuse me!" Tiana said angrily, "I'm just here to give a message to Alkan-san from my village elders!" She then turned to Alkan and said, "My elders just want to say thank you for your help concerning the Pixie egg. They wanted to give you something in return, but with Kazuma being paid with half our treasure, we couldn't afford to part with anymore."

"Cheapskates." Tierria muttered, and thankfully Tiana didn't hear that as Alkan said, "It's alright Tiana, I wasn't really expecting anything, so just tell your elders that it's alright."

"Oh, thank you very much Alkan-san. The elders also said that if you need anything, don't hesitate to call us." Tiana said. She was about to leave when Alkan stopped her saying, "Where do you think you're going? You still haven't answered my other question."

Tiana gulped and flew back to where Tierria was floating. Both of them looked nervous, but Tierria replied, "Well, when we heard that you had awakened Alkan-san, I made my way over here early in the morning and came in thanks to Chisato-san. Apparently Tiana here followed me in, and one thing led to another…"

Alkan shook his head and said, "I think I get the picture, and for that, I want the two of you to clean up this place and fix anything that's broken!"

"Eh?!" Both Tierria and Tiana said. Alkan looked at them and said cleanly, "By today would be nice girls!"

The two beings just sighed and started to clean up the mess. Ayumi looked at Alkan and asked, "Are you sure that's alright Alkan? I mean, they are just tiny little things…"

"Don't worry, those two are stronger than they look." Alkan told her, as they watched Tiana struggle trying to pick up a piece of wood, "Well, most of the time anyway."

Ren and Ayumi just giggled as Alkan said, "Well Ayumi, this will be the place that you'll be staying at. I preferably would've had you stay with Ren at the Kannagi mansion, but that would raise questions I would rather not deal with at the moment."

Watching Tiana and Tierria clean up, Alkan said, "I think we'd better help those two, or else this really will take all day." Ren and Ayumi nodded, and they followed Alkan forward to help clean up the mess.

Later, Alkan went over to Chisato's and when she opened the door, he saw that she was still a bit mad for some reason. He sighed and said, "Okay, I'll tell you what really happened, so could you please let me in? I need to ask you for a favor."

"…Sure." Chisato said, her expression lightening up a bit as Alkan was let in. Looking around, Alkan saw that Chisato's place didn't look that much different from his, only the furniture was different.

After Alkan explained what really happened and the reason why he was gone for over a week, Chisato was more than surprised by it all and asked, "So, you're alright now Alkan?"

"Sort of, however, I can't use any of my powers for a while as a result of what happened." Alkan told her, "I don't have much of a choice but to ask Kazuma to cover for me for a while…"

That's when Alkan asked, "Anyway, I need to ask you for a favor. Could you let Ayumi stay here for a few days? She's going to live with me, but I don't have the place prepared, thanks to some things that happened."

Chisato gave a nod saying, "Of course Alkan. I have a few spare things that she can use." Alkan looked grateful and said, "Thank you very much Chisato. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem Alkan." Chisato told him, "By the way, where are Ren-kun and Ayumi-san anyway?"

"They're next door, with Ren introducing Ayumi to my video game collection." Alkan said casually. Chisato looked at him and asked, "Are you sure they're doing that?"

"Positive," Alkan replied, "I might not know Ren as much as Ayano or Kazuma, but I pretty sure that Ren knows how to behave himself. Those two are still young after all…"

Suddenly, Chisato gave a laugh saying, "You know, you sound just like an old father when you talk like that. It sounds totally wrong!"

"Hey, I'm barely in my early twenties, thank you very much!" Alkan said with dignity. Chisato just rolled her eyes as she laughed, "I was just kidding Alkan. No need to get so wound up!"

All Alkan did was shake his head as he sighed and laid back in his seat thinking, 'Man, this sucks. It feels like I'm back to square one with no powers, and even though I do have some protective talismans that I made awhile back, I have the strangest feeling that they won't be enough…'

* * *

In another part of the city, a certain eighteen year old girl got off the train. She attracted looks from the people passing by, and no one could blame them. The girl looked absolutely beautiful, with long navy-blue hair and matching eyes. She wore a simple white blouse with a blue jacket over it, as well as a long white skirt that reached down to her ankles, ending with her wearing a pair of high-heels that looked fashionable, yet comfortable. One notable thing was that the girl was wearing an earring on her right ear, which looked like a tiny orb filled with water on the end of a short chain.

Two other people walked out after her, one man and one woman, both of them wearing suits. They looked like twins though the woman's black hair reached her shoulders and was straight, while the man's looked a bit messy and was shorter. They wore sunglasses as part of their attire as the man said, "Are you sure that this is city that Hosenkou-sama is staying in Shion-sama?"

"I'm quite sure. Or are you saying that the intel was wrong Lee?" The girl called Shion asked.

"I'm sure my brother didn't mean that Shion-sama." The woman said, "He was just checking if we really were in the right place."

"Are you saying that I don't have a sense of direction Skye?" Shion asked in a hurt tone.

The woman named Skye hastily replied, "N-no, of course not Shion-sama!"

"Fu fu, I was just playing with you Skye." Shion said playfully. Both Lee and Skye sighed as Shion said, "You sure know how to play hard to get Alkan-sama, but this time, I finally found you. I, Shion Umizuka, will find you this time…"

* * *

Note: I admit, this ending was a bit sloppy in my opinion, but I'm glad the Tsuwabuki arc is done. On another note, the last three people are a reference to another group of three, and kudos to anyone who can figure it out. Hint: It's a very popular game series that has spawned over four games. Reviews are greatly appreciated and thanks to those who did so far!


	15. From Earth to Water

Chapter 15 – From Earth to Water

The next day was a bit hectic for Alkan, what with the paperwork coming in, as well as getting Ayumi registered into the same school that Ren was attending. He called Lan and told him that Kazuma was to take all the jobs that come in for him, due to his 'injuries,' which Lan seemed to find odd, but bought the story anyway. After that, the Tsuwabuki sent over the adoption papers to his apartment, and a part of Alkan was wondering, 'What the heck did I get myself into?'

The two fairies, Tierria and Tiana, had somehow decided to stay as permanent residents in his apartment, much to Alkan's chagrin. He considered kicking them out at first, but seeing as how they would keep Ayumi company while he was out, he changed his mind. He set some ground rules for them, since he doesn't want to see the place trashed like the first time, where Ayumi, Ren, Ayano, and Kazuma stopped by to see Alkan's place a batteground, thanks to one of their fights.

Ayumi was adapting well to her new life, and living with Alkan wasn't that hard. Though with him unable to use any of his powers for a while was making Alkan a bit nervous at first before he calmed down. For some reason, he couldn't help but have a feeling of dread in the back of his mind, like he should run away from the country or something. He shook it off as being a bit paranoid due to the temporary loss of his powers.

Now a few days later and things seemed to be settling down. Alkan had forced himself to stay in his house after it was cleaned, and he had asked Chisato for help concerning Ayumi, like getting her clothes and other essentials. Kazuma and Ayano stopped by a few times, though it was mostly Kazuma telling Alkan about the jobs he was covering for him and how much they paid, with Ayano being dragged along as part of her 'training'. The only company he had were the fairies and Cui-Ling when he was alone, mostly playing video games, which were moved to the living room so Ayumi could live in the room. The feeling of dread never went away, and for some reason, a cold chill went down his back every now and again.

In his apartment, Alkan sat in front of the T.V. watching the news thinking, 'Man, things sure have dulled down lately, huh?'

'**That's what happens when you sit at home doing nothing but play games Alkan.' **Cui-Ling told him.

'It's not as if I can do anything else!' Alkan picked up the remote and started flipping channels, 'My Elementalist powers are out of commission and I really haven't trained to do much else. I only have the educational equivalent of a middle school graduate here in Japan, you know!'

'…**I sure know, because I always caught you with some kind of reference book when you should've been doing your duties as a waiter!'** Cui-Ling snapped.

There was a moment of silence before Alkan inwardly chuckled, 'Ha…it sure is funny bringing up the past, isn't it?'

'…**Yeah, it sure is…'** Cui-Ling gave a giggle when Alkan stopped flipping channels, now watching what looked like a festival scene. He got up and went over to get a cup of water, and when he sat back down, the announcer said, "Now we have a very special guest here with us today…"

From behind, the door opened and Ayumi, Ren, and Chisato came in with Ayumi saying, "I'm home!"

"Welcome back Ayumi. I see Ren and Chisato are with you with more…things…" Alkan turned to see the bags in their hands.

Ren looked a bit tired holding most of them as Ayumi said with excitement, "It was amazing Alkan-san! After school, Chisato-san came by and took me, Ren, Kannon-san, and Tatsuya-san out for a bit of shopping! I never knew that it would be so much fun!"

"That's good…" Alkan turned around with a smirk as Ren deposited the bags onto the top of the table, sighing in a huff. That's when he added, "I hope that there are groceries inside some of those bags."

"Of course, we're going to have a big dinner tonight!" Chisato said with a smug look, before helping Ren and Ayumi unload the bags.

Alkan just sighed as he turned his attention back to the T.V. as he took a drink. "Now, here's the famous upstart actress, Shion Umizuka!"

Alkan suddenly spit out the water he was drinking with a sputter, shocking the others at the sudden outburst. As they went over to see what was wrong, Alkan was coughing as he heard Shion on T.V. "Hello Tokyo! Today's a great day for a festival, isn't it?"

"C-Crap…I got to careless…ugh…" Alkan was coughing out the water that went down the wrong tube.

Everyone else grew concerned as Ren asked, "What? What's going on Alkan-san?"

"I-it's nothing Ren, I just choked on some water, that's all." Alkan managed to cover, wiping his mouth.

That's when Cui-Ling came up saying, **'Why don't you tell them what's going on Alkan?'**

'Don't want them to know, or else something bad's going to happen.' Alkan looked at the others and gave an assuring smile, letting them get back to what they were doing.

'Too bad it's going to get exposed anyway…'

'Huh? What do you mean by that?' Alkan pressed, but before Cui-Ling could reply, he heard Ren speak up from behind him.

"Eh? Nii-sama and Nee-sama?"

"What?-!" Alkan snapped towards the T.V., and sure enough, saw Kazuma and Ayano on it, talking about something, though they were far enough that the camera couldn't catch anything. Alkan prayed that they would pass by without incident, going as far as clapping his hands together.

However it seemed luck was not with Alkan today, as Shion caught onto something Ayano said and she bolted over, with the camera going after her with the announcer saying, "Umizuka-san? Where are you going?"

Chisato looked at Alkan oddly as she asked, "Alkan…do you know her…?"

Alkan quickly shook his head, a bit too quickly that everyone noticed, "Uh, not really…I do know her family by reputation, I guess…"

"Her family? What do you mean by that Alkan-san?" Ayumi asked.

"Their family is pretty much like the Kannagi and Tsuwabuki, Ayumi." That caught Ayumi by slight surprise, Ren seemed to know already, and Chisato, she just didn't have much of a clue what Alkan was talking about. "But they're a family of Suijutsushi that live around Setouchi, right by the Seto Inland Sea."

Alkan didn't get more into it when they heard Shion ask, "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear you mention someone named Alkan. Do you mean Hosenkou Alkan?"

As Alkan scrambled to get the phone, they heard Ayano say, "And if I do? What's it to you?"

That's when Lee and Skye showed up with Lee saying, "Ojou-sama, there you are, you shouldn't just disappear on us like that?"

"Ojou…sama…? Who the heck are you?" Ayano asked with a hint of distain.

Chisato looked at the T.V. and asked, "Doesn't she know that she's on T.V…?"

"I pretty much doubt that…" Ren sighed at his cousin's attitude. Ayumi just gave a giggle as Chisato raised an eyebrow at Ren's words.

Alkan was busy punching in numbers as Shion bowed and apologized, "I'm sorry, it was rude of me to just walk up to you like that without an introduction. To start off, I'm Umizuka Shion, and these are my attendants Lee and Skye."

"Oh, she's just like you Ayano, just much more polite." Kazuma mused, earning a look of anger from Ayano.

However, instead of snapping at Kazuma, Ayano looked at Shion and bowed in return. "Excuse me for my…bodyguard's…words. I'm Kannagi Ayano, and this guy here is Yagami Kazuma."

"Kannagi? Oh my, it's a pleasure to meet both you and your bodyguard Kannagi-san," Shion held out a hand to shake Ayano's hand, while she looked a bit surprised at how Shion identified Kazuma as his bodyguard so easily. Despite that, Ayano returned the handshake when her cellphone rang.

On the other side, Alkan was waiting patiently for Ayano to answer, and when she did, the first thing he said was, "Ayano, whatever you do, don't tell Shion where I live. Also, pretend I'm one of your other friends or something. I'll explain everything later."

Ren, Ayumi, and Chisato could see Ayano having a surprised look on her face, but somehow, she quickly regained her composure and said, "Oi, Yukari, calm down, what did you say again?"

They saw here walk off to the side, but not before Ayano saying, "I'm sorry Umizuka-san, but I have to take this call…"

Kazuma raised an eyebrow as Ayano walked to the side. On Alkan's side, he said, "Sorry Ayano, but all I can say is that make sure Shion doesn't know where I am right now. I wouldn't ask this of you, but due to my…condition, it's going to take a while for me to, uh, disappear for awhile."

"What the heck do you mean by that?" Ayano hissed on the other end. "Also, what's you're relationship with Umizuka-san?"

"I met her on a job a few years ago, and that's it," Alkan replied, not telling the whole story, "Look, just make sure that she doesn't know that I'm here, and get Kazuma away from her too! I don't want him to let something slip before I go in hiding!"

Before Ayano could say anymore, Alkan's attention turned to the T.V. when everyone heard Shion say, "Ah, thank you so much Yagami-san. Hosenkou-sama's pretty slippery, and I was afraid that I might have missed him."

"It's no problem," Kazuma had a smirk on his face, and Alkan swore that it was directed at him somehow. "I'm just surprised that you know him."

"Oh, he was one of my bodyguards awhile ago, if only for a short time," Shion told him with a smile. "It would be nice to catch up on old times."

"I'm sure he'd like that." Kazuma said with a nod.

Alkan was frozen on the spot when Ayano's shouting snapped him out of it, "Hey, are you still there?-! Hello?-!"

"Eh? Ah, Ayano…forget what I just said, just stall them for like half an hour or so, okay?"

"Hey wait, what do you-?-!" Alkan suddenly hung up on Ayano as he ran to his room and shut the door behind him.

"What was that all about?" Chisato asked.

"I don't know, I've never seen Alkan-san act like this before. Maybe he got into some trouble with the Umizukas back then?" Ren suggested.

"…I don't think so. Umizuka-san didn't sound angry when she talked about Alkan-san on T.V." Ayumi replied, "Actually, she sounded happy that she found him."

They were silent after that, only hearing the sounds of shuffling and whatnot coming from Alkan's room. About ten minutes later, Alkan popped out, dressed for travel with a suitcase in hand. He panted for a bit before catching his breath and turning to the others.

"Whew, sorry about this Ayumi, Ren, Chisato. I'll be leaving for abroad for a few weeks, though it might take longer depending on the circumstances. Chisato, can you take care of Ayumi while I'm gone? I'll owe you later. Ayumi, please tell Tierria and Tiana that I'll be gone and I'm sorry that I have to leave so soon. I'll explain everything when I get back. Ren, please tell Kazuma that I will personally owe him back for earlier."

Everyone was speechless at Alkan's speech as he quickly put on his shoes and coat and went for the door. "I'll bring back souvenirs for everyone. Bye!"

Alkan opened the door and hastily went through, but somehow tripped in his haste, and he crashed headfirst into the opposite railing, falling into unconsciousness. As everyone shouted his name in concern, the last thing he thought was, '…Aw, crap…'

* * *

"I think he's coming too."

"You sure? That mark on his forehead doesn't look good. I still say that he should go to the hospital."

"Alkan-san's made of tougher stuff. Believe me, I know."

"Well, he's still only human, Ayano. Especially with his condition right now."

"Please be quiet! Hosenkou-sama needs to wake up to quietness."

That last voice made Alkan freeze, and when he opened his eyes, they met the eyes of Shion Umizuka. "Aw dammit, it's you…"

"Mou, that's mean Hosenkou-sama. And I came all this way to meet you too."

Alkan blinked as his vision came back into focus. Looking around, he found his head on Shion's lap, the two of them on the rug. Ayumi, Ren, and Chisato sat on the couch, watching them oddly. Kazuma and Ayano sat on chairs, with the latter apologetic when their eyes met. Skye and Lee stood nearby, waiting attentively as Alkan remembered back then.

"Now that you're awake Hosenkou-sama, how about we catch up? I had such a hard time finding you, that if I didn't know better, I'd say that you were avoiding me~"

All Alkan could do was lay there as he tried to think of a way to get out of this situation. Considering that he was elementally crippled at the moment, he couldn't think much of any plan.

'Ugh, how am I gonna get out of this one?'

'**Sucks to be you, Alkan.****'**

'…Shut up, Cui-Ling.'

* * *

**Notes: …It been over a year. Close to two. I don't know what to say. Not to mention that this update is not up to my standard length-wise. What I can say is that, to all those who reviewed/favored/alerted/read this story, thank you very, very much for support.**

**As I have said in my profile, this story's going through a rewrite. I have to admit that back when I started this story, I thought that my writing was pretty good. Now, I think it's utter crap, and I'm surprised to still see that people still review/favor/alert this fic. I mean, compare the first few chapters of The Elementalist to my newest stories, Ministra Magi Device Reinforce and Hyperdimensional Infinite Neptunia, and you'll see a total difference. Anyway, the rewrite will change the way the scenes are told, deal with grammar that the site and I messed with, and a few additional scenes will be added here and there. I don't know when I'll be done, since my Neptunia story is my main focus, but I will promise all of you that it will be within this year that the rewrite will be done. No need to remove your faves/alerts, since all I'm doing is replacing chapters, including this one.**

**That's all I have to say for now, so again, I apologize for not being around this story. It's definitely not dead yet, even if the author for Kaze no Stigma is! Oops, shouldn't have said that.**


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